Dr DoYoukai
by Cattykit
Summary: [AU] Ever since entering the company of Shikon, Kagome has wanted to have a youkai of her own. Now that she gets one, how will she react when she finds she can actually understand what it is saying? InuKag
1. Chapter 1

**Dr. Do-Youkai**

Disclaimer: Not mine, so no sue, kay?

Well, another idea popped up in my head. It's supposed to be sort of like Dr. Dolittle, but just the idea, not the plot. I don't remember what the original plot was about, so this story should be different from the movie. Well, tell me how you guys like my new story! Thanks!

Ch. 1 

Higurashi, Kagome sat at her desk in her small little office and sighed wistfully. She clasped her hands behind her head and leaned against her chair, only two of the legs supporting her as she teetered dangerously on the simple wooden chair.

Outside her window, she watched small children play in a nearby playground. They skipped joyfully and their childish tittering penetrated the glass of the tall office building. She couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Ever since childhood, she had known nothing but the bland walls that surrounded her. 

She continued to stare out the window, oblivious to the time that slipped past her. They looked so happy…

Without warning, her office door opened with a bang accompanied by an eager voice, "Kagome!"

Kagome gave a startled yelp and fell from her chair to crash painfully to the floor. She gave a small moan and opened her eyes. The sight of one of her friends and fellow co-worker swam into view. 

"Rin?"

"Yup!" Rin was smiling idiotically, unaware of the tangle of limbs and chair before her, "Guess what? Guess what?" She was hopping with suppressed excitement.

"Giant robots are going to take over the universe," Kagome rolled her eyes sarcastically, "What?"

"The boss is going to let you send in the Application!" 

"What?" Kagome snapped quickly.

"_You know_! The Application for the _you-know-what_!" She whispered secretly as if it were forbidden information. She flashed her a bright smile, dimples denting her rosy cheeks.

Kagome leapt up immediately, nearly tripping again in the process, "Oh my god, tell me you're not joking!" She squealed excitedly.

"No way! He's actually going to let you! If your Application is successful anyway."

"Well, it's about time! I've been working at this stupid company for 14 years!" She cried indignantly, though playfully. Rin giggled and grabbed at her friend's hands.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Start writing your Application! The sooner you get it done the sooner you can get a _you-know-what_!"  
Kagome smiled mischievously and fished through one of her drawers. She pulled out a piece of paper and waved it in front of Rin's face, "Already got it done! I just need to make a few minor changes perhaps, and add a few things. I made this years ago, you know." She grinned and pulled out a pen from her jar of writing utensils. 

"Good luck, Kagome! I hope you get one!" Rin said, "My five minute break is over, I have to get back to my _you-know-what_," she waved and exited the office. 

Kagome smiled after her. It was true that she had been at the company of Shikon for 14 years, but she hadn't been actually working for it the entire time. The company of Shikon was a business that used youkai, demons, as experiment subjects to find cures for humans. Youkai had better healing powers than humans, but at the same time, they functioned similarly. They also had the inability to talk. Hundreds of attempts had been made to communicate with them, but they had all failed miserably. Youkai were the perfect lab guinea pigs. 

When Kagome had been five years old, a Fugitive youkai had attacked her. It had killed her family, but she had survived by some strange twist of fate. Every since then, she had been drawn into the company. Shikon was the only company that experimented on youkai and the only company that knew where and how to capture them from the wild. The public didn't and wasn't supposed to know they were dangerous. If that information had gotten to the government, the company would be shut down for sure. So she was taken in and taken care of by none other than Rin Hamasaki. The woman was at the age of 13 at the time. Still youthful and innocent. She hadn't changed much over the years, but Shikon had changed her still nonetheless. Her enthusiastic spark only appeared occasionally and she became more mature contrary to what she had just shown. 

Kagome also made friends with another girl, but one that was her age. Her name was Sango Taijiya, another girl whose family was attacked by a Fugitive. Fugitives were dangerous. Once they broke out of the lab, they had the will and power to do just about anything. The security increased each year due to the number of Fugitives that broke loose. 

Kagome sighed at put down her pen. She proofread her Application and nodded with satisfaction. An Application was like a resume; it let the boss of the company know whether or not the employee was ready to own their own youkai. Kagome had been working on finding possible medications for dangerous diseases for eight years. She had showed wonderful brilliance at a remarkably young age. 

Within minutes, she had her Application sent to the boss. 

Now all she had to do was wait…

*

"Kagome," someone called to her, "Kagome!"

Kagome's head shot up from her desk. She had been sleeping. "Huh? What? W-what time is it?" She vision blurred and focused. She looked up.

"Oh, hi, Sango! What are you doing here?" 

"What do you think?" She smiled, holding up an envelope. 

Kagome gasped, "Is that what I think it is?" She asked, her voice trembling. 

"Yes is it, if you're thinking this is the results to…" Sango paused for dramatic effect, "… the Wine Tasting Club!" 

Kagome lifted an eyebrow in confusion and wrinkled her nose, "What?"

Sango laughed, "Just kidding! It's the results to your Application! The boss told me to send it to you-" Sango cut herself off when Kagome nearly dove on her. The envelope was snatched out of her hand and Kagome proceeded to tear off the covering. Her hands shook as she prepared to open the folded note.

"'Hello, Mrs. Higurashi, we have received and accepted your Application, congratulation you will be receiving a youkai!" She shrieked the last part of the notice happily. "Please come to the main office ASAP!' Oh my god, Sango! I'm actually getting a youkai! My hard work finally paid off!" She gave another excited shriek and ran out of the office, leaving a smiling Sango behind. 

_That girl sure is crazy,_ She thought in amusement. 

*

Kagome stood in the ascending elevator nervously, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Although she had been in the company for fourteen years, she had never once seen a youkai before. She was anxious in actually meeting one. How would it act? Would it be mean or nice? What will it look like? The questions continued to swirl around in her mind, until the quiet *bing* of the elevator shook her out of her thoughts. 

She walked to her boss's office and knocked tentatively on the door. 

"Come in," A cold voice drawled. 

She opened the door to see a young man with wavy black hair sitting comfortably in a chair at the end of the large and excessively decorated room. His face was pale, contrasting sharply to his midnight black face and his eyes held absolutely no warmth at all. The man creeped her out to no end, in other words.

She bowed out of nervous habit, "Hello, Naraku, it's nice to see you again," _Ew, see him? PLEASE!_ She thought, but squashed it brutally out of her mind, "I got your notice from Sango."  
The ends of his mouth quirked up in a smile, but it never reached his eyes. They remained as cold as ever. "Ah, yes," he replied, "Unfortunately, we are short of youkai this year-"

Kagome's heart sunk.

"But we do have a special case for you. It is a hanyou, a half-demon if you will. With your expertise and knowledge, I'm sure you can handle it. It's name is Inuyasha. I wish you the best of luck." He stood up and walked to a door beside him. 

Slowly, he pulled it open. 

Kagome felt as if a flash of bright light was emitted from the open door. It was purely her imagination of course…

She held her breath as someone walked out. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Well, what do you think, what do you think? I have no clue whatsoever where this is going, but I hope it will turn out nice! Please please please review! Please! LOL. I'd really appreciate it! 

Uh… by the way, I didn't proofread it, so if you catch any mistakes, let me know. Oh, and for those of you who are reading Owarinai Yume, my second fic, I've almost got the second chapter out so stick with me! See you guys later!


	2. Chapter 2

Dr. Do-Youkai 

Disclaimer: How can I put this? Hmmmm… I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA!

Hey minna-san! Wow, I seriously did not expect so many reviews! I thought maybe at the most would be four or five, but I got nine! I feel so loved! ::sniff:: And I'm not being sarcastic either! Love you all! ::blows kisses:: Thanks for the wonderful encouragement and I hope you all like this chapter as well!

**Ch. 2**

Kagome held her breath as someone walked out…

But as the imaginary light faded out of her mind to let her eyes function properly, she realized that there were actually a couple of other people with it. But as her vision landed on the youkai- the hanyou- before her, her mouth went dry and she completely ignored the other two men beside it. 

There, standing before her, had to be the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. 

The first thing that had come to mind when anybody mentioned the word 'youkai' was a great hairy beast with excessive limbs and possibly three or four eyes. But, despite that fact, she was still eager to obtain one. To be able to experiment and explore to the absolute fullest and possibly even discovered which Fugitive had callously murdered her family was her greatest goal. She planned to be completely ruthless against her youkai, like the Fugitive had been against her family. But now… the hanyou- _her_ youkai looked so…

Human.

The hanyou had a mostly humanoid body. Stunning silver locks adorned his head to trail down his back and end slightly below his hips. Chains and shackles bound his claw-like hands tightly. Fetters closed around his ankles, attached to chains, which in turn attached to the chains leading from his hands. Sharp fangs poked out from his upper lip in an angry snarl. Canine ears perched delicately above his head, twitching every so often in the direction of noises. But what caught her most were his eyes.

They were a beautiful amber in color, but that wasn't all. Such emotions reflected in those depths. But hatred was the most prominent of all. He absolutely _hated_ to be there. He _hated_ to be shackled by those thick chains. He _hated_ to be used as a possession, a mere thing that people experimented on. Such hatred overwhelmed Kagome and she was forced to look away from the hanyou's dark gaze. 

And with such emotions, how could she believe he were anything but human?

How could she forced herself to experiment on such a being?

Would she actually be willing to do such a thing?

Looks like this was going to be tougher than she thought…

"Miss Higurashi?" Naraku spoke.

Kagome shook herself out of her thoughts and looked up, "Yes?"

"Now that you have a youkai, you will be receiving a room to stay in, located in this building. It will have its own lab and room for you to experiment on your youkai. The room number is 244. Here are your keys." Naraku handed her a set of golden keys and she took them. 

"Thank you," she mumbled.

"Oh, and be careful with this one, it has quite a temper and I wouldn't want you to injure yourself," he said with a smile that once again did not reach his cold, cold eyes. 

"Yes, sir," she bowed respectfully. 

The men beside the hanyou gave her the chains they held and another set of keys that would unlock them. She took them awkwardly and tried to get the youkai to move without having to tug on the already tightly bound manacles. 

The hanyou didn't move.

She tried to jerk lightly on the chains, once again trying not to hurt it.

The hanyou still didn't move. 

One of the men gave a rough kick to his rump, shoving him forward to almost collide with Kagome. Only then, did it move. With hard eyes full of loathing, it walked forward, past the open door to the hallway, in a completely mechanical motion. Kagome quickened her pace to catch up with him and directed it to the elevator. 

She pressed the down button to call up the elevator. According to the key from Naraku, room 244 was on level 24. That was 20 levels below this one. As she entered the small room, she looked at her new youkai. She didn't know if it could understand her or not, but she made the attempt. 

"Hey, my name is Kagome. Can you understand me?" She asked. 

The hanyou turned to look at her with those hate-filled eyes, but did nothing else to show that it had heard or understood her. Kagome gave up with a sigh. But a thin, chain necklace around the hanyou's neck caught her eye. She leaned in close to him to read the plate attached to it. It said:

Inuyasha 

No. 11701

Higurashi, Kagome

"So your name is, Inuyasha," she commented to herself. 

The hanyou's nose scrunched in a scowl, and, sensing the hostility, Kagome backed slightly away from him. Inuyasha turned his head to scowl at the wall. 

With a small ring, the elevator came to a stop and the metal doors slid open. Kagome stepped out yanking the chain she held lightly, her eyes roving over the hallway of door, until they landed on the one marked 244. Her youkai followed her to the door with reluctant obedience. Kagome slid the gold key into the keyhole before flicking her wrist to turn the knob. As the door swung open, her eyes took in the sight before her.

To her left and taking up the majority of the visible space was the living room. A small sofa that could only seat two people comfortably stood before a coffee table and a TV along with a VCR and a DVD player. The door to the left of the living room led to the small porch where she could see the rest of the city. To her right, she saw a small dining room and a simple sort of chandelier hanging above it. The kitchen was hidden behind a wall directly to her right. Beyond those rooms, she glimpsed a bedroom and a bathroom. She noted with a frown that it seemed as if the entire apartment was made for only one inhabitant. But then again, youkai weren't exactly considered inhabitants were they?

Kagome turned around and beckoned Inuyasha to come closer and close the door. After some hesitation, he complied. Taking out the keys the men had given her, she fit them to the shackles and without preamble, deftly unlocked all of them. The heavy, metal chains fell away from the hanyou leaving him with a bewildered expression on his face. 

She gave him a soft, reassuring smile and took his wrist gently, aware of the nasty cuts and bruises around them. She led him around the small apartment haphazardly, not really knowing where to go. When she reached the bedroom, she was dismayed to see there was only one bed, and only big enough for her. 

"Well, maybe they have a spare futon," she said to herself. She moved to the closet on her right and slid open the mirror-door. Apparently the maids hadn't been doing a very good job on cleaning up the place because everything she could have imagined was stuffing in that little closet, oh, and the futon was there too… and with a loud groan, the contents of the closet began to lean and crash over her. She gave a small gasp and couldn't make herself move to get out of the way, her body was frozen in place. She closed her eyes tightly and braced herself for the crash.

A minute passed.

And then another…

And nothing happened.

Carefully, she opened one eye and then the other. Her youkai was in front of her, bracing the huge weight with his body. His left hand and hip was supporting the plain, white futon while his head was holding up a box of what looked like Scrabble. The rest of the objects behind continued to make small  creaking noises, telling her that the hanyou wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. 

She reached for the door and looked into the hanyou's eyes. A flicker of understanding sparked between the two. She nodded her head once and slammed the door close as fast as she could as the hanyou moved away with inhuman speed. The load of closet junk didn't even have a chance to break free. 

Kagome gave a relieved sigh and looked at her youkai. She smiled at him, "Thank you," she said genuinely. 

He gave a small 'humph' and looked away.  

Kagome put a hand to her mouth and yawned. "Whew! One life or death situation a day is enough for me, thank you very much! I think I'm going to go to sleep." She frowned, "But then, where are you going to sleep? We can't get the futon out and the couch is definitely too small…" She mused.

The hanyou solved the problem by plopping down beside the bed, sitting Indian style, and closing his eyes. A smile touched her lips and too tired from the events of the day to change and clean up, she flopped down on her pillow and fell asleep.

Kagome moaned softly as she slowly woke up. There was a bright golden light close to her face and she was in no mood to fight the sun at that particular moment. But wait, that light was too golden to be the sun. Her eyes flew open and she nearly yelped when she found herself nose to nose to a certain dog youkai.

The hanyou cocked his head to the side and she could have sworn a smirk graced his lips before they pulled back into an emotionless line. Kagome put a hand to her heart and took in a deep breath.

"Don't _do_ that to me!" She glared at him. She gave a small primly sniff and flung back the bed covers. Kagome pushed pass her youkai and made her way to the bathroom. 

Not knowing what she was doing and what he was to do, Inuyasha followed her.

The girl had closed the door sharply in front of him and without hesitation, he inched open the door to see what she was up to. He was watching her disrobe with interest until she noticed him. Her shrill scream shattered the peace and he instinctively clenched his eyes shut and flattened his sensitive ears against the noise. Slowly, Inuyasha opened an eye to be greeted with an angry, red-faced Kagome clutching a towel to her naked chest. 

"Why you…" She fumed.

Inuyasha gasped as he rushed out of the bathroom, various shampoos, soaps, and whatnot flying out after him. _What'd I do?_ He thought grumpily. 

Nevertheless, he turned his head to look at the bathroom door. That girl was different from any other human he had ever met. For once in his life, he was treated as something other than an abomination and a slave. 

*

Kagome sighed. _What to do now?_ She thought. She just couldn't bring herself to experiment on Inuyasha. It would be too cruel. She wasn't like that. Along with her hanyou came a job. Her specific job was to investigate the mental state of youkai. She felt she should connect with her youkai first before any  experimentation.

_What to do?_

Lost in her ponderings, she failed to see Inuyasha in front of her until she had collided head on into him. He just barely pulled himself up from falling to the ground. Eyes flashing, he turned on her and growled. 

"What where you're going, bitch!" 

Kagome froze. She did not just hear that. It was impossible! Youkai weren't capable of talking! _I'm not going crazy. I'm not going crazy._ She chanted to herself. 

"Didn't you hear what I said?" He snarled.

_Well, scratch that theory,_ she thought before she fell to the ground in a dead faint. 

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Sorry for such a short chapter! That barely had 2000 words! I'm ashamed of myself…-_- LOL. Well I hope you liked it anyway. I wasn't aware the first chapter was so short! It was only 1500 words long! No more no less. Don't listen to ff.net they cut off about 200 words. It was 1500 god damnit! ::Ahem:: And even though I had such little you all gave me such nice reviews! I hope you give just as nice reviews for this chapter!

If you have the time, please check out my other story Robotic Beauty. Shameless advertising I know, but I'll be updating it REALLY really soon. Probably right after this story. I have written the second chapter, but I'm trying to write the third before the post the second. But oh well, I'm craving reviews! LOL. So review!!!

~*~*~ 

Review Responses 

~*~*~

**Animebrat**: It seems you are always the first one to review my new stories! And I thank you for that! So… thank you! LOL. 

**Laura**: I'm glad you like this story! It makes me feel all warm and tingly inside ^_^ I'll try to update faster. Sorry for the wait!

**Alana-star**: You know I have a friend named Alana… LOL, very random I know. Anyway, thank you. I'm sorry I took so long to update. I had a huge writer's block on all my stories ::cough cough:: Can you believe it? Haha, that's just my way of saying I was too lazy to get off my butt and update ^_^

**Ganko**: Strange, I would have sworn your name was Pyroe… But haha, I just LOVE putting in cliffhangers! I love to make them but I hate to read them! I guess you could say this is a cliffhanger, but not as bad as the last one… I think…

**Crashing-and-Burning**: Hee hee, thank you! I'm glad you like it already! I'm usually not one of those types that read stories with only one chapter, but god knows I'm eternally grateful there are people that do! Don't forget to review! ^_~

**gala**: Thank you! Sorry I didn't update very fast, but hopefully I'll get out chapters faster. Review!

**Sen-chan**: Well here's more! Hope you liked this chapter! Thanks!

**Deadly Tears**: Thanks! I hope I get far with this story. I have so many unfinished fics! But I am determined not to abandon any. I'll try not to take very long to update this time. But unfortunately, that won't be set in stone…

**Inuyasha-demonbride99**: You don't know how much it means to me to have people read my stories! I'm so happy people can enjoy my writing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Thank you again for all the fantastic reviews! Until next time then!


	3. Chapter 3

Dr. Do-Youkai 

Disclaimer: If I did own Inuyasha & co. I wouldn't be sitting here typing this story, now would I?

**A/N: **Oh… My… God…!!!! I got so many wonderful reviews! Wow! I'm so pleased! I've got a much bigger response than I ever though I would get for this story! 25 reviews for just two chapters?! That makes me so happy! Reviews always make me feel so good. It means a lot to me that people can read my stories and enjoy them. Enjoy this latest chapter of Dr. Do-Youkai!!

Ch. 3 

Kagome blinked her eyes open and groaned. _What happened?_ She thought to herself. She sat up quickly. _How did I get on the couch?_

"Feh. It's about time you woke up, bitch."

Her head turned abruptly to the source of the voice and she groaned. _Oh, yeah, now I remember. Now why couldn't that have been a dream?_ "You can talk…" She said, a bit in a daze.

The silver-haired youkai stuck his nose in the air arrogantly. "Keh. Of course I can talk. I'm not some mute idiot like everyone else in the world thinks. _You_ just can understand. But don't take that as a compliment!" He snapped at her, a little guardedly.

Kagome was still stunned. This had never, ever been heard of before! Never had anyone been able to communicate with youkai before. But, suddenly, she, Higurashi, Kagome, age 19, had been able to understand every, single, foul word that had escaped out of her youkai's mouth. This had to be a dream! She pinched herself. Yep, it hurt… 

It wasn't a dream. 

Suddenly, she was aware of the face barely a few inches from her own.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?" He growled in annoyance.

Kagome gave a slight yelp and slapped him. She jumped back and stared at the hanyou, now holding a hand to his reddened cheek. 

His face contorted in anger and his free hand clenched in a fist. "What the fuck's your problem, you psychotic bitch!" He snarled. 

Kagome flushed, "Yeah, well I'm not used to having people sticking their ugly noses into my face!" She shot back. Whenever someone injured her pride, all logic and reason flew out of her head, and being called a psychotic bitch was not exactly on her list of things to be proud about. 

"Bitch!" He fumed.

"Ass!" She replied just as heatedly.

"Bitch!"

"Ass!"

"Bitch!

"Ass!"

"Argh!" He let out in frustration and stomped out of the room. 

Kagome stared after him and only after a couple of minutes did she realize what happened… "That jerk took my room!" She ran to her room and banged her fists against the door. "Hey, get out of there! That's MY room!"

"Piss off, fucking wench!" The hanyou shouted back. 

"YOU have no right to talk to me like that! I OWN you!" She said without thinking.

The words had barely finished from leaving her mouth, when the door wrenched open with such force, she would have sworn the handle snapped off. "What did you say?!" The hanyou barked into her face. His face was nearly purple with rage. 

Kagome stepped back, "I-I said I own you!" She stuttered, "It says so on that tag around your neck!" 

Inuyasha looked down and grabbed the tag angrily before she could stop him. But the instant his hand closed around the chain, he let go with a howl of pain. Kagome instantly forgot all the grudges she held for him at the moment and knelt down at his side. His uninjured hand was clutching his wrist as the other hand twitched spasmodically. She could see nasty boils forming on the surface, while the skin turned redder by the second. 

Quickly, she ran to the bathroom across the hall and moistened a hand towel from the rack. She came back to him and knelt back down before gently dabbed at his swelling hand. "Now look what you did!" She scolded him. "That necklace chain has a chemical in it that reacts to demon DNA, which is why they make you wear turtleneck shirts." She told him as she smoothed the towel lightly across the skin. He hissed as she hit the middle of his palm. With his unoccupied hand, he pushed the girl away. 

Kagome fell to the ground roughly. "Hey, what was that for? I was just trying to help!" She frowned.

"I don't need any help," her youkai said in a low, neutral voice before stomping back into the room and slamming the door close. He leaned against the door and waited until he heard the girl leave before allowing himself to think. What was up with her anyway? One minute she was yelling his ears off, and the next she was tending to his wounds. Yet, she had treated him like an equal, and not like a possession or experiment subject. He didn't understand. Why did she have to be any different? Why was she just so different?

Inuyasha shook his head and lay down in the bed a few feet away. It wasn't even midday yet, but somehow he was still tired. The girl hadn't set any rules so he decided to take advantage of it. He nuzzled his face in the pillow and closed his eyes. The last thought that entered his mind before he fell asleep was, _Smells like lavender…_

*

Kagome sighed. Her youkai seemed adamant in keeping to her room, so there was no point in hanging around in the hall. She picked up the towel from the floor and threw it back into the bathroom carelessly. If it didn't land on the counter, she'd pick it up later.

She gave the clock hanging on the wall a quick glance. _Hmm… 10:15, just enough time for a late breakfast._ She must had been out for quite a while because she had woken at 8 o'clock that morning. She walked quickly to the refrigerator at the command of her growling stomach. When she pulled it open, she gave a heartfelt groan.

"Nothing at all? You gotta be kidding me… Boy these people are cheap."

She sighed and pushed the door close. The only thing she could do now was go out and buy groceries. Either that, or starve to death. But what about Inuyasha? She didn't want to come home and find her apartment trashed. She walked back over to HER room and knocked lightly on HER door. 

No response.

She tested the doorknob and was surprised to find it unlocked. She peeked her head into the room. Upon further inspection, she found the hanyou curled up in her bed, sleeping. His head was buried deep into the pillow. She was about to march over to the bed and give her youkai a piece of her mind when her eyes landed on his face. Well… what she could see of it anyway. Shamelessly, she stared at him. If he wasn't awake, then he wouldn't care… She reasoned. 

Her eyes softened as she gazed at him. At that moment, she saw nothing more than an innocent sleeping boy curled around her pillow. His face was smoothed of all creases and his normally furrowed brows were relaxed. His ears quivered slightly on top of his head. All of her earlier anger dissipated at once and she found that she couldn't bring herself to disturb his sleep. Her hand reached out to touch his face, but she thought better of it and withdrew. Instead, she took the folded blanket at the edge of the bed and carefully covered the sleeping demon, smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles. She gave him one last glance before she left, grabbing her purse and keys on the way out. 

*

Kagome hummed to herself softly as she pushed her grocery cart down the aisle, stopping every once in a while to toss in a few desired items. She was browsing through the vegetable section, when a cheery voice hailed her from a distance. She turned in the direction of the voice to see the handsome face of a brown-haired, young man. 

"Higurashi-san!" The boy called again.

"Hojou-kun!" Kagome smiled back politely and gave a friendly wave. The young man was from her old school before she graduated and had had a crush on her for several years. Now that they were grown, she had no doubts that his high school crush had also grown. He was a sweet boy, but she just had no romantic interest in him. She turned back to browsing, hoping he would take a hint and just walk away. 

_No such luck, _she groaned silently, as he took the wave as an invitation and made his way toward her. He never was the brightest crayon in the box. She turned back to him and smiled again.

"How have you been, Higurashi-san?" He gave her his happy smile. She almost had to squint from the flash of his perfectly straight and blindingly white teeth. The guy probably brushed his teeth ten times a day.

"I've been just fine! I was finally able to get a youkai!" She replied. 

Hojou frowned a bit, "But aren't those things dangerous? A young, single woman like yourself shouldn't be home alone with that thing." He protested.

The corners of her mouth twitched a bit in irritation. "And just what are you suggesting?" She asked as politely as possible, but her eyes had darkened a bit in anger. _So you think I can't take care of myself, huh?_

The boy was completely oblivious of her resentment. "Well…" He blushed a bit, "I was thinking that I could keep you company in your apartment. You know, come by a few hours every day to see how you're doing… and stuff…" His cheeks flamed a bit more. 

In reply, Kagome just turned around and threw over her shoulder, "That's alright, Hojou-kun, but I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much." She was unable to keep some of the contempt out of her voice as she walked off. The poor boy just looked after her in confusion, before shrugging it off.

Next, she visited the clothing section. As well as buying herself several blouses, she looked through the men's section. She just wouldn't allow Inuyasha to wear the same turtleneck shirt and scruffy jeans everyday. She leafed through a few outfits, before deciding red looked best on him, making sure to purchase only turtlenecks. By law, she wasn't allowed to take off the necklace and she certainly didn't want to him to have permanent boils on his neck. She winced at her own thought.

As she stood in the checkout line she glanced at her watch and did a double take. It was already 12:30? Inuyasha surely had woken up by now. She had a feeling she wouldn't relish walking back into that room. She stomped her foot impatiently as the cashier appeared to be having a problem with the cash register, too. She counted eight people in front of her waiting in the same line, each pushing very full, grocery-loaded carts. She groaned. The gods were surely out to punish her.

By the time she was fitting her key into the key slot of her apartment door, it was already 1:15. The explosion came the moment the door swung open. 

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" She heard someone shout. As she covered her ears, she inadvertently dropped the groceries. She winced as she heard the eggs crack. 

After her ears stopped ringing, she answered him, "I was out shopping, you twit! I don't know about you but I need food to survive!" 

Unwilling to admit defeat, Inuyasha reached into one of the bags, pulling out two red turtleneck shirt, "Does this look like food to you?!" 

Kagome's azure eyes flashed angrily, "Those are for you, you moron!" 

Some of the anger left the hanyou and he fisted his hand around the shirts. Without another word, he stomped back to HER room. Kagome sighed heavily and massaged her temple with a hand. Her own youkai was yelling at her, but somehow, she didn't find that anything out of the ordinary. She reasoned that she was going crazy. Either that, or she still thought she was in a dream. A second pinch assured her that it was definitely reality. With another sigh, she bent to pick up the fallen groceries. 

The first thing she did was check the eggs. She found they were only lightly cracked. They could still be used. 

She tapped a finger on her chin thoughtfully. What could she make for lunch? At a quarter past one, it was certainly too late for even a late breakfast. Lunch would have to suffice. She pulled out two cups of instant ramen. Cooking anything else would take too long. In less than five minutes, she had two cups of steaming noodles. She set both cups on the table, leaving out one for her youkai. She was pretty sure even they had to eat. 

In no time at all, the smell of the noodles had lured the half-demon out of the room. He plopped down on the chair opposite of hers and sat with his back hunched. Not once did he look at her as he picked up the chopsticks and began to eat. 

"You're going to become a hunchback if you keep sitting like that," she reprimanded. 

He straightened a bit, self-consciously, before giving a rebellious frown and slouching over again.

Kagome gave an exasperated sigh. "Look at me, will you?" 

He kept his eyes down cast and scowled a bit before mumbling out something. 

"What?" She craned her neck to catch his words. 

"I said… thanks for the shirts… and lunch…" He mumbled a bit more audibly the second time. 

Her mouth fell open and she stared at him. _Did he just apologize…? Maybe he isn't so bad after all._ She continued to stare at him as he slurped up his ramen. 

Inuyasha growled and finally looked up at her, "Stop staring at me! What, can't I eat without some ugly wench staring at me?!" 

So, she was wrong.

"What'd you just call me?" She said quietly as she fisted her hands in her disguised fury. 

"What?" Inuyasha smirked, "Can't take the truth?"

Kagome's eyebrow twitched, "Why… you~u…" She growled menacingly and stood up, knocking her chair back. 

Inuyasha wondered if it would be best to run. 

_POW! Thud._

Too late…

Kagome dusted her hands, satisfactorily and stepped back into HER room, finally in possession of it once again. A smug grin tugged at her lips as she leaned against her door. 

Back outside, Inuyasha laid spread-eagle on the ground, nursing a hefty lump on his head. _Did I say something wrong?_ He sulked. 

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**A/N: **I'm sorry, minna, again, for such a short chapter! I'm working on getting them longer, but it's getting hard to extend them. I haven't much a plot in my head. I have a vague one, but it's not completely determined. I'm not even sure how it's going to end! And as for those Inu/Kag fluff lovers out there (like me… heh heh) you might not see some action for a while. I have to make them trust each other first ^_^ 

See ya next time!

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Review Responses

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**Alana-Star**: So… how was this chapter? Good? Bad? Too short? LOL. I know the answer to that one already… Thank you for your review!

**AnimeBrat**: Thank you! I'm glad you think so. Don't forget to review for this chapter ^_~ 

**gala**: Wheee!! You really think so! ::blushes:: It's responses like yours that make me feel so fluffy ^_^ I'll try to get the next chapter out soon, but I'm not that fast a writer, and I'm alternating between 4 stories so…

**X-with stars**: Hmmm… from Crashing & Burning to Subbed & (something… can't remember) to X-with stars! You change your screen name a lot, huh? But, yup you're right, the madness did begin! I plan to make Inu & Kag argue a lot in this fic. Aren't they so adorable when they do that?

**Inutori**: Thanks! Well, Inuyasha is already a peeping tom. Didn't you see him in the beginning episode? Barely a week passed, and he was already peeping on her… LOL. Sorry I didn't get this update out so fast. Er… 11 days isn't that bad is it?

**mkh2**: Heh, heh, I don't know much about Dr. Dolittle. All I know is that it's about a guy who can talk to animals ^_^; It seems you know a LOT about Dr. Dolittle though! Thanks for your double review! I like it when ppl do that… heehee.

**pinksakurablossom01**: Thank you so much! Your review made me feel fluffy too! You think it's funny? Good, 'cuz when I write it, it doesn't sound funny… LOL. I hope you didn't wait too long!

**Artemis716**: Thank you! I'm trying to make them longer, but ::sigh:: it's not working. But hey, at least I didn't leave a cliffy right?

**flawed-shell**: _OMG_! ::blushes:: Your review makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside! 1000 reviews? You're kidding me right? I'll be lucky to get 200… LOL. And… HOW can you compare me to Rosefire? I could never be as great as her!!! Thanks for the compliment though. I'm sure I won't just abandon this story. It's too much fun to write!

**LilNezumi LilInu**: Yeah, I know it's cruel to test on youkai, but at least Kagome's not doing it right? Thank you for your review!

**Oracle of the Stars**: LOL. Thank you! I'm glad you think it's funny. It makes me feel good ^_^

**Cheery Wolf**: Thanks! Don't worry, I will continue this story! Don't forget to review again!

**Midnight-Blue-Wolves**: Thank you! Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed it!

**Ganko**: Oic. So that's why. I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long last chapter. Now that I look at it, it was a whole frickin' MONTH!!! Well, at least this update didn't take so long right? I'll try to get out updates faster. Thanksgivings is coming up… that should give me some time… if my teachers don't give too much hw that is…

**comicfancat**: Thank you for your review! Here's the next chappie! Hope you liked it! Review! LOL. 


	4. Chapter 4

Dr. Do-Youkai 

Disclaimer: Yo no own-o Inuyasha. Don't you just love my Spanish? And believe it or not, I have the highest grade in my class. O_o

**A/N:** My GOD. Sorry for the long wait! And I'm even more sorry for putting my other two stories on hold for so long! I'm trying to update them, I really am! Writer's block SUCKS so much!

Okay, so I lied. There is a bit of fluff in this chapter. Actually, there's a lot, in my opinion anyway. At least it will make you fluff lovers out there happy eh? I just couldn't stay away from writing it! ::sobs:: And for those who think this is going too fast **don't say it to me**! 'Cuz I know! ::pulls out her hair in frustration:: I'm trying to slow it down as much as possible!

Ch. 4 

_Heh, heh, this'll be perfect_, Inuyasha sniggered silently in glee as he made his way to Kagome's bed. She had stayed in her room the rest of the previous day, filling out papers. She had slept without dinner and now it was morning once again. In the back of his mind, Inuyasha wondered when he had felt so comfortable around the girl, but he pushed the thought away, intent on filling out his plan.

He neared the sleeping girl, smirking a devious smile before…

"GET UP!"

Kagome gave surprised squeak and tumbled out of the bed. Inuyasha howled with laughter as she peered through her disheveled hair, completely disoriented. 

That is, he was laughing until Kagome retaliated with a slap.

With his cheek stinging, he glared at her, "What was that for?"

Kagome glared back, "For rudely waking me up at," she glanced at her clock, "7:00 in the morning!" 

Inuyasha crossed his arms in a huff. "If I have to be awake at this time of day, then I'm not going to be the only one!"

"Why you…" Without thinking, Kagome grabbed her pillow and bashed her youkai over the head with it. He slumped over at the unexpected attack. 

"Oh… now it's war!" He declared and grabbed another pillow that lay conveniently by his side. He raised it high over his head and Kagome gave a small screech before shuffling quickly to the side to avoid getting hit. 

Kagome evened the score with a hit to the ribs he had left vulnerable. "Got you!"

Inuyasha turned mimicked her attack and hit her in the ribs as well. 

"Hey!" She cried indignantly, straightening her back. This gave Inuyasha the chance to hit her squarely in the rump. She gave a squeak and fell forward. Angrily, she raised her pillow as high as she could and brought it down on his head. The pillow exploded in a flurry of feathers. 

Kagome gasped. "You broke the pillow with your stupid, fat head!" She cried out.

"Hey!" He scrunched up his face after recovering from her assault. "Which is more important, my head or your stupid, fat pillow?!" He rubbed his sore ear that had taken the blunt of the hit.

"Stupid! Your _head_ was the stupid, fat one, not the pillow!" 

"That's completely off topic!"

"Then what is the topic, pray tell?" She said, putting her hands on her waist. 

"I don't know!" He shouted under the pressure of her glare. "There is no topic!"

"Then how can I be off topic?!" She cried in exasperation. 

"Wagh! You're confusing me!" 

"Good!" 

He growled before tackling her to the ground. 

"Ouch!" She cried weakly as her head hit the carpeted ground. 

"Take this!" He shouted triumphantly as his nimble fingers sought out her sides. Kagome giggled helplessly under the onslaught. He eased off a little bit when her face began to take on a purplish color. But once she had recovered, he proceeded to tickle her again. 

"St-stop!"

"Heh, make me, bitch." Inuyasha smirked. 

"I'll s-scream!" She threatened. It would have been more intimidating if her face hadn't been beet red from laughing.

"Hell if I care," he replied. 

But as he discovered he was nearly sitting on the girl, his tickle attack came to an abrupt halt. A sudden realization had hit him. Kagome gave a few breathless gasps, her helpless giggles subsiding, before pushing herself up onto her elbows. "What's the matter, Inuyasha?" She asked, concerned.

"What is wrong with me? What is wrong with you?" He asked quietly, almost to himself. 

"Hn?" Kagome cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Why am I acting like this? What am I doing? I'm just a lowly youkai. A half-breed no less." He spat out. "I shouldn't deserve pleasures like this. My only purpose in life is for experimental usage. I deserve to be imprisoned. I am a monster. A monster that should be chained up." His eyes hardened as he recited the words that had been drilled into his mind day after day in his previous life. 

Kagome couldn't take it anymore. "Stop it!" 

He looked at her surprised. 

"You aren't a monster." She said quietly. 

His eyes flashed. "Yes I am!" He shoved his hands in front of her face. She didn't flinch. "Look at these claws! They could kill you without a second thought! _I_ could kill you without a second thought! I _am_ a monster!"

Suddenly, she took his hands into her own. She touched the edges of his claws lightly. "They aren't that dangerous." She commented. "They only are when you want them to be." She looked into his eyes. "And I know you aren't that kind of person."

"You don't know shit about me!" He snarled angrily. 

"I do." She said evenly. "I know that you are gentle enough to not once hurt or scratch me when you were tickling me. I know that behind that gruff exterior, you can be nice. You are just like me. The only difference is that you have been mistreated and exploited. The people that held you prisoner greatly wronged you and you deserved none of it. If you can be nice enough to thank me for a meal, or gentle enough to have a tickle fight without once intentionally _or_ unintentionally hurting me, that's good enough for me." She smiled lightly at him before letting go of his hands.

Inuyasha felt his heart beating heavily in his chest. What was this feeling? He didn't like not knowing things. It made him feel weak. "F-feh!" He managed, crossing his arms and trying to look indifferent.

Kagome gave another smile. She didn't miss the waver in his voice. 

But the moment was broken when she heard the doorbell ring. 

"A visitor!" She said happily. 

She jumped to her feet and made her way to the door, leaving Inuyasha to mull over what had just happened. What _had_ just happened? Why in the world had she been acting so nice. He was a _hanyou_ for god's sake! She was supposed to be mean and nasty and cruel! _Why was she being so nice?!_ He found himself asking that question more than any other question he had asked his whole life. He gave a long sigh. Life was so much simpler before he met Kagome. But he had to admit, it did feel nice to be treated equally for once in his life. 

*

Kagome opened the door and was surprised to be greeted by the smiling face of Hojou. She plastered a delighted smile on her face. "Why, Hojou-kun! How nice to see you! What are you doing visiting so early?"

Hojou tilted his head a bit to the side. "Early, Higurashi-san? It's nine o' clock."

Kagome glanced at her ever-faithful clock to confirm his reply. "Wow." She exclaimed. "Time sure did fly. It was seven this morning when Inuyasha woke me."

Hojou's eyebrows lowered in confusion, "Who is Inuyasha?"

"Oh! It's my youkai! You know the one I told you about?" 

"I see…" The corners of Hojou's mouth curved downward in a frown. "You let him live in the same room as you?"

Kagome scowled. "Yes." She replied shortly. "Anyway, you never answered my question. Why are you here?"

"Oh, yes!" He brightened. "I wanted to see how you were doing. That is, making sure you were okay." He blushed. 

_I can take care of myself, you twit!_ She wanted to yell out, but she held it in check if only for the sake of hospitality. "Oh, I'm perfectly fine living on my own!" She said in what she hoped was a happy voice. "Plus, my friends live close by, if I were in any trouble I could just go to them!" She lied.

"Well… alright. But I hope you don't mind if I check in once in a while. You're face always brightens up my day." He said honestly. 

Kagome couldn't help but blush. Who was she to turn down a compliment? "That's sweet, Hojou. You can drop by if want." 

Hojou's mouth lifted in a smile again. "That would be great! And while I'm here, would you… care to see a movie with me?" Red tinted his cheeks again. She didn't have the heart to turn him down.

"Sure."

Suddenly, she was aware of a growling sound behind her. She turned around to see an angry Inuyasha disturbingly close to her. She frowned. How did he get so close without her noticing? She mentally shrugged. Must have been the youkai abilities. 

"Kagome… is this your youkai?" Hojou asked. 

"Yes." She nodded. "Hojou, this is Inuyasha." She looked up at the hanyou and was surprised to find him scowling. 

"What is it?" Kagome asked softly. 

Hojou gave her a strange look. "Were you just trying to talk to it, Kagome?"

Inuyasha's scowl deepened and Kagome had the urge to mirror the look but again, she held it in check. "No." She denied. 

Unbelievably, he seemed to believe her. 

"Alright, then! I'll pick you up tomorrow at seven!" He gave her one last smile before leaving. 

Inuyasha glowered. "Who is that moron?" He asked after Hojou had disappeared out of sight. 

"Inuyasha!" Kagome reprimanded. "Don't be so mean. Hojou is a nice guy, he just… isn't all that smart…"

Inuyasha smirked. "See? You agree with me."

"Hey, I never said he was bright."  
Suddenly, she smiled happily for no apparent reason. 

"What?" He shifted a bit, self-consciously. 

"You're acting care-free again!" She commented. 

Inuyasha immediately frowned, as if to contradict her observation. 

"Come on, Inuyasha." She said exasperatingly, "Smile more! You look better when you're not frowning." She moved her hand to his face and lifted the corners of his mouth up. Inuyasha batted her hand away and deepened his frown. 

"Humph," she pouted. Without warning, her stomach growled loudly. She gave a sheepish laugh. "Well, sounds like I'm hungry. I'm going to get some breakfast. Want to join me, Inuyasha?" She extended her hand in invitation. 

Inuyasha felt his heart flutter at her smile. Then again, it could possibly have been his stomach demanding for food. He chose to stick with the latter. _What has this girl done to me?_ He asked himself. 

He tentatively placed his hand in hers as she led him to the refrigerator. 

But… whatever she did do to me… 

_… I like it…_

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AUGH! Ridiculously short! And TOTALLY OOC! I know it! So don't tell me about it! I tried, I really did, but the fluff made up for it right? Right? ::sighs as readers advance with pitchforks:: I guess not, but oh well. Even if just to flame me, REVIEW!! See the weeee lil' bluish purple button on the bottom left? Press it! And then write something! And then press the bar! That's all you have to do! Not THAT hard now, is it?

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Review Responses

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Okay, I'm trying something new with my review responses. I'm putting them in one big chunk to save space. That way, you won't be deceived (as much) on how long the chapter is ^^ I got the idea from Aejavu. Thanks Aejavu! Hope you don't mind me stealing your idea! ^_^

**Alana-star**: I'm glad you liked it ^_^ Inu's starting to trust Kag and I'm trying to lay off the fluff for a while, but I'm failing miserably. I just love fluff too much! I should start a story with just fluff in it! That is… after I get some stories out of the way first… ::sighs:: **X-with stars**: Wow, I'm surprised you haven't changed your screen name yet! J/k. Aren't they so adorable? Inu/Kag is my all time favorite couple! **AnimeBrat**: LOL. So you like Kagome giving Inu his punishment, eh? LOL. Here's the next chapter! Hope you liked it!** Ganko**: There's nothing wrong for going mushy! I totally love it when Inu and Kag have cute exchanges, like in the fic The Babysitter by The Literary Dragon. I'm completely in LOVE with that story! **Mkh2**: LOL. Thanks for the review! Cheetos? How random. LOL. Thanks for the review! **Frisbee**: Well here's chapter 4, hope you liked! **Lovethestory**: Wheee! Thanks! **LilNezumi LilInu**: Heh heh, sometimes Inu should learn to keep his mouth shut, eh? Of course that has nothing to do with a certain lunatic authoress… ::whistles innocently:: **Queen Quantepec III**: Thank you so much! But I'm sure a million is a bit exaggerating ^^ I'll be lucky to get 200! **The Turmoil Twins**: Haha! That was such a cute review! With your 'lalala's and all… I am a Ranma fan, but I didn't know there was a movie… I've read books 1-2, 4-6, 20, 22, 23, and 24. I think… I missed a bit in the middle there, didn't I? But I know a fair amount. Thank you so much for the review! **Midnight-Blue-Wolves**: Yeah, I guess I made him a bit OOC, but it IS a nice change. Thanks for reviewing! **Shatteredjade**: Kagome can talk to other people's youkai. She can just talk to youkai in general. Sorry I didn't make that clearer! Here's the next update! **Porridgengrits**: LOL. I really don't know what to say! But here's the next update. Hope I didn't disappoint you!


	5. Chapter 5

Dr. Do-Youkai 

Disclaimer: I'm not in the mood to be clever so I'm just leaving a simple "I don't own it". ^_^

**A/N**: I'm so sorry I haven't updated in awhile! Thank **Alana-star**, 'cuz she's the one who finally made me get off my lazy butt to update ^_^ Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and just as a warning, there're a lot of scene changes. Sorry if you get confused at all! On with chapter 5!

Ch. 5 

Kagome hummed quietly to herself as she brushed her hair in front of the bathroom mirror. 

Inuyasha crept up behind her, his hands jammed in his pockets. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Getting ready for my date," Kagome replied. She continued to brush her hair. 

"What's a 'date'?" He asked. His head cocked slightly to the side. 

Kagome set the brush onto the table, "A date is when a guy and a girl go out to have fun. I'm going on my date in five minutes so I have to hurry."

"Wha…? You're going to be _alone_ with that Hobo guy?! What if he tries something?" He argued heatedly. 

"His name is Houjou, and no, we're not going to be alone. There'll be lots of people around, but it's still just us two. And again, no, he will not try anything."

"How are you so sure?" He scowled.

"Didn't we go over this before? He's not smart enough to try something." 

Inuyasha gave a fanged grin.

This time, Kagome scowled, "Wipe that smirk off your face. He might not be smart, but he's still sweet and considerate, unlike _some_ people."

Inuyasha's frown returned, "What's that supposed to mean?"

The doorbell rang.

"Oh, that must be Houjou now! Well, see you in a few hours, Inuyasha. Don't destroy anything while I'm gone." She said, a fake smiled plastered over her face, before she marched toward the door.

"Oi! Kagome! You never answered my question! And who said you could go? Kagome? Kagome!"

*

"Hello, Houjou," Kagome smiled at the young man, standing beside his car.

He returned her smile, along with a small blush. Politely, he opened the door of his car for her. "Good day, Higurashi-san. I hope you're well?"

"I'm doing fine, thank you," Kagome replied.

Houjou shut the door and almost skipped to his side of the car in excitement. He was actually going out with Kagome on a date! They hadn't done this since high school. Maybe she was finally giving him a chance.

Silently humming a happy tune, he started up the engine of his car and away to the movies they went.

Inuyasha growled lightly from his position by the window, as he watched the car pull away. Who did that prick think he was? Coming in and taking Kagome away like that?

An idea sparked in his head and he brought the bottom of his fist to his hand, a stubborn look on his face. He was going after her. Why shouldn't he after all? She _was _his human. He had to protect her. With that in mind, after pushing away all voices of rational thought, he dashed to the door. 

Once out of the room, he looked left, and then right. 

"Which way was the elevator, again?" He muttered to himself.

"Oh, hello! You must be Kagome's youkai. I'm Rin." A voice sounded from behind.

He whipped around to see a woman in possibly her late twenties or early thirties. She wore a simple blouse and skirt and wore a kind smile across her face. Next to her, stood a tall inu youkai with long silver hair like his own. Purple stripes slashed his cheeks and a crescent moon was imprinted on his forehead. 

"Going out without your human, half-breed bastard?" Inuyasha flinched at the cynical tone of the youkai's voice.

"What of it?" He replied defensively. 

The youkai stayed silent and gave him an almost accessing look before saying, "Down the hall, to your left." 

Inuyasha stared at him. 

Without warning, the youkai turned around and stalked away, forcing Rin to follow him. Giving a shrug, he followed his directions and made his way to the elevator.

In no time at all, he was outside, jumping from housetop to housetop, in pursuit of his human's scent.

*

"What movie would you like to see, Higurashi-san?"

"It doesn't matter, you can choose." 

A grin split his face, "Okay, then! How about "Sludge Monster V: The Return of the Sludge Monster"? I've been wanting to see that movie ever since they showed the previews!"

"… Sure…"

Houjou paid for the tickets eagerly and led her into the theater. Together they found two seats in the near back of the room. Houjou pulled out a bag of popcorn from his backpack. "Cheaper," he winked at her.

Her eyebrow arched. "Ah…"

The lights dimmed. "The movie's starting!"

After only ten minutes into the movie, Kagome already began to dislike it. There was almost no plot and the acting was atrocious. Whoever directed this film had no apparent grasp on reality. Kagome stared dully at the screen as she watched the main actress (Was she really the main actress? There seemed to be five of them… Kagome thought to herself.) give a fake scream of horror.

"Oh John, my love! Watch out! The sludge monster…! It… it's behind you!" The woman gave a dramatic gasp. 

Kagome gave a sideways glance to her date. He seemed captivated by the movie. Kagome raised an eyebrow. He couldn't possibly be enjoying this…?

She returned her eyes to the movie to see the 'sludge monster' jump onto 'John' with a loud squishing sound. Her vision blurred as she stared at the screen. She didn't think she'd ever been more bored in her entire life…

*

"Where the hell is she?!" Inuyasha gave a scream of frustration. He'd been searching for hours, combing through the streets, in the hopes of finding her and berating her for running off. He tugged at his hair angrily before lifting his nose for the umpteenth time in the attempt to sniff her out. 

Suddenly, he smelt it. A small wisp of her scent just barely hung on to a young man on the street below him. He jumped down from the housetop and landed in front of him, dislodging a shout of surprise from the boy's throat.

"Where is Kagome?" He demanded, fisting the boy's shirt in his hand.

"Wh-who are you? Wha-what do you want?" He stuttered, his eyes wide. 

"Are you deaf or something?! I asked you where Kagome is!" Inuyasha growled.

The boy just stared at him. 

Shit. I forgot people can't hear me. It's only freaks like Kagome who can do that… 

"L-look, buddy. I don't want no trouble! I just came from the theaters. I didn't do nothin' wrong!" The young man held up his hands as if to calm the crazy, mute man that held him by the front of his shirt.

A light bulb went off in his head. The movies! That stupid idiot Houjou had mentioned about going to the movies (whatever that was). Apparently, these 'movies' had something to do with these 'theaters'. He'd just have to trace the scent of this human back to the 'theaters' to find Kagome.

He let go of the boy's shirt and shot off in the direction the boy had come from.

The boy smoothed down his wrinkled shirt. _What a weirdo._

*

The sludge monster was now turning its attention to the city, making quick work of the side stands and light posts. Small mountains of sludge and slime trailed in its wake. He was heading toward the heart of the city.

Kagome gasped. But what if he threatened the chipmunks?! She shook her head. No, he wouldn't. Beethoven had promised her he would protect them. And if that failed, he would hand them over to the purple monkeys. 

Wait a minute…

"Higurashi-san! Higurashi-san!" 

Kagome jumped up and shouted, "Save the chipmunks!"

Houjou looked at her strangely, "Um… Are you okay, Higurashi-san?"

She looked slightly disoriented. "Huh? What's going on?"

"Well… you fell asleep. The movie's over."

"Really? That was fast." Her eyes took in the deserted theater, only a few people stuck around to watch the credits.

"Um… The movie was three hours long." Houjou cocked his head slightly to the side, as if questioning her mental health.

"…Right."

"I guess we should get out of here, huh? I'll take you home."

"Okay."

He led her out of the movie room, holding firmly onto her hand, even as she discreetly tried to pull away. He deposited his empty bag of popcorn into the trash bin on the way out. 

Houjou was about to say something to her, when someone ran smack into her, sending her to the ground. But before she crash onto the pavement, a hand reached out to catch her arm. 

"Kagome!" A very familiar voice barked angrily.

_Oh, dear…_ Kagome looked up. 

"Higurashi-san, are you alright?" Houjou asked worriedly before looking at the hanyou. "Hey, isn't that your youkai? What's he doing out here in the open?!" 

"What _are_ you doing here?" Kagome asked Inuyasha, her lips turning in a frown.

"Feh. I was looking for you, bitch, since you decided to ditch me all of the sudden." He released her wrist and crossed his arms over his chest. 

"You were supposed to stay in the apartment, dimwit."

"Hey!"

"Higurashi-san, what _are _you doing?" Houjou asked alarmed, when his date started to have a one-sided conversation.

Inuyasha and Kagome both looked at him at the same time. 

"Oh! Um… uh… I w-was just… no-nothing, Houjou." Kagome stuttered in embarrassment. Her cheeks reddened.

Inuyasha smirked. 

Houjou just looked confused. 

Kagome narrowed her eyebrows at the smirking hanyou. "You~u… Inuyasha, you wipe that smi— " Kagome abruptly stopped herself when she realized she was doing it again. She turned to Houjou and gave a nervous laugh. "Well, Houjou, I had a great time tonight, but hey, look at the time!" She held up her arm and tapped a nonexistent watch on her wrist. "I've got to go. It was… er… nice seeing you again!"

Houjou seemed a bit sad, but perked right up, "Maybe we can do this again sometime!"

"… Maybe…" She was well aware of the growling hanyou by her side.

"Come on, Kagome, let's go," Inuyasha grabbed her elbow and lifted her into his arms, hooking her knees over his left arm and clutching her shoulder with his right hand. She gave a squeak of protest, but it was soon muffled as he jumped away. 

Houjou sighed. That Kagome really needed to put leash on the beast. 

*

He was angry. She could tell. An even-deeper-than-usual scowl graced his face and his chest was lightly rumbling in anger. But what in the world was he angry about?! She told him that she would be going on a date. Why did he have a problem with that?

Before she knew it, they were back at the apartment complex. He tapped his foot impatiently for her to pull out her key. Once inside of her apartment, Inuyasha rounded on her furiously, but before he could speak, Kagome pushed his chest roughly with both her hands. 

"What do you think you were doing?!" She yelled shrilly. "I told you I was going on a date! I have my own life you know!"

"Hey! I told you not to go! I— "

"Shut it, Inuyasha! I don't want to hear what you have to say! You're still my youkai! Who said you could tell me what to do?" Of course, she was kind of glad he had come. Houjou probably would have dragged her off elsewhere, and to be truthful, he was probably the most boring person she'd ever met. Of course, she'd rather run around her apartment screaming bloody murder than tell him _that_.

"I said I could tell you what to do! You didn't have a good time, did you? Did you? Just admit it! You should have listened to me!"

"Look, if I want to go out with him, then it's my choice! For your information, I _wanted_ to go out with him!" Of course a little white lie never hurt…

"Hah! Yeah, right! You were probably bored out of your skull!"

"As if! I was having the time of my life!"

"You suck at lying," Inuyasha sneered.

"Inuyasha!" She screeched. "I have control over my life! Not you! I've given you the freedom to do as you please, and _this_ is how you repay me?! I should have let you chained and manacled!" The moment those words left her lips, she knew she'd gone too far.

Inuyasha didn't say anything for several minutes. Slowly, he hung his head. 

"So… you're just like the others."

"Inuya— "

"I don't want to hear it." He muttered in a low voice before turning to leave.

"Inuyasha! Don't you dare leave!" Kagome commanded, grabbing on to his wrist. 

"Leave me alone, bitch! I don't need you!" Angrily, he tore her hand from him and began to stalk away.

Kagome couldn't stand it anymore. Why did they always have to fight? "I'm sorry!" She suddenly shouted out.

He stopped, though his back was still turned.

"I-I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean what I said. "Sometimes, things just… come out, and… I just didn't mean it. I would never, ever chain you up again. You have my promise."

He didn't say anything for a long time. Then… 

"How do I know you won't betray that promise?" He asked.

Kagome was about to blow up at him for his distrust, but she thought better of it. She walked over to him and turned him so that he faced her. She reached up with her hands and gently held the dangerous chain necklace that was around his neck. 

"This," she said, looking into his eyes, "is a symbol of my ownership over you." Carefully, she pulled it off his neck and tossed it to the side. "Now, you are free to do whatever you want." 

Without another word, she turned her back to him and made a beeline for her room.

"Wait!" He called out, a slight waver was in his tone. "I…" _Tell her you forgive her, you moron!_ A voice in his head barked. But something, maybe his pride, told the voice to shove it. "I thought you weren't supposed to take that off." He offered lamely.

Kagome gave him one last look over the shoulder. "I'm not."

Inuyasha watched her walk away helplessly. He had known that he'd crossed a fine line, then. He shouldn't have assumed she would've locked him up just because of a silly argument. Now it was up to him to repair their broken friendship.

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**A/N**: **IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ:** Well, I've come to a decision about this story that I'm sure you guys won't like. Heh, I can see the grimaces already. But schoolwork has been piling up on me, and I can't manage four stories at a time (I don't know WHAT made me think I could in the first place =P). So I am going to put this story on hiatus. ::dodges rotten tomatoes:: 

I'm sorry! I'm sorry! But life's getting hectic and I feel SO bad for leaving No Longer Alone on SUCH a FREAKING long break. I need to get back to that and finish Owarinai Yume. There's one more chapter for OY and an estimated five chapters for NLA. I'm going to try to get most of NLA done before I start on this one again. And I also want to rewrite part of this story, because I think I rushed it too much. I was thinking of deleting it entirely and then rewriting the whole thing, but that would be worse for you guys, so I decided to just put it on hiatus. I'm really sorry! I hope you guys can forgive me.

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Review Responses 

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**Ganko**: Hey! Thanks for the review. Anyway, yea, Kagome can talk to Inuyasha because she just can, not because he's half human. And I don't know when I'll be putting in Miroku (I put in Sango in the first chapter). He'll probably be human. But that's not set in stone yet. I hope you liked this chapter and that you can forgive me! ::gives puppy eyes:: **X-with stars**: Thanks for reviewing! Flu huh? That sucks. But you're probably better by now… I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. The month really flew by! **MIkki-inu-luva**: Hee hee, thank you! I'm glad you like it so much! And yeah, I'm a fan of fluff too. Just can't stay away from the stuff… **fay-of-faerie**: Thanks! They are getting longer aren't they! The first chapter was only like a little more than 1000 words, which embarrassed me when I first found out. I try to get them as long as I can. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! **ChristyKay**: Thank you! Well, you sure made me happy! Hmm… Nghi told you to read this? Strange… I never got a review from her. It is a her, isn't it? Somehow, girls are more into writing fanfiction than boys ^_^ The male gender lacks enough intelligence to write. LOL. I'm just kidding. They're not _that_ dumb. By the way, tell Nghi I said thanks! **Shadowspinner1**: ^_^; Well I guess I asked for it. Thanks for the… er… review? **Shatteredjade**: Haha, well I was thinking of doing something like that anyway. You see the result in the above chapter. Of course Houjou is dense enough to blow it off. Thank you for the review and suggestion! **AnimeBrat**: Omg, thanks so much! You must want to kill me now, huh? U_U I'm sorry, but life really is getting hectic (I hate high school). But if you think this fic is the best, you have obviously not read any of Rosefire1's stories. ::gasps:: You haven't?! Then what are you doing here??? Shoo! Go read her fics! And if you have already… er… go read them again! LOL. **Comicfancat**: LOL. Thanks. Don't be so hard on Houjou! He's just… stupid. Thank you for the review and I hoped you enjoyed this one!** Lovethestory**: Wow! Thanks! I suppose I should take your penname as a compliment too! LOL. 

Thank you everyone for your support and I hope you'll still read my story after I get over the hiatus. Don't worry, I won't take like a year, or something, but I appreciate all the reviews you guys have given me! You guys are the best! Bye!


	6. Chapter 6

Dr. Do-Youkai 

**Disclaimer**: Yeah right! Like I'd _want_ to own Inuyasha! I mean, who _wants_ fame… and money… and worship… and… and… ::goes off into a corner and cries::

**A/N**: I'm so sorry about the hiatus you guys! I hope you can forgive me, but hey! Looks liked this story is back on track. Though there probably won't be another update until July because I'm going on vacation in a few days. Thank you guys so much for sticking with this story so far and I hope you enjoy!

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Ch. 6 

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It had been four days since their fight. Inuyasha sat on the stone railing of the balcony, brooding. It was the only place Kagome didn't go and thus, he could avoid her avoiding him. The silent treatment was making his mood worsen day by day. He scowled and crossed his arms. What was up with that girl anyway? It had just been a silly little fight! He shot a glare at Kagome's hunched form in the dining room. She was working on her papers again.

Angrily, he dug his claws into the stone, wishing it were wood so that he could vent his rage upon it. He had to get out. He felt suffocated even though he was out in the open. He wanted to be anywhere but where he was at that moment.

Inuyasha flung open the balcony door and entered the apartment. He stood for a moment in the living room, glaring at Kagome, before he stalked to the apartment door and went out, not bothering to be quiet as he slammed the door close.

Kagome stared at her paperwork, noting that she had not written anything down for the past thirty minutes. She flexed her fingers around her pencil, an unreadable expression on her face.

Finally, she gave up, and put her pencil down. She walked the few steps to the living room and sat down, grabbing the remote. She flipped the channels, her mind unfocused.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Inuyasha walked aimlessly through the corridors of the apartment complex. There were barely any people around and if he did pass by somebody, they would completely ignore him.

_Just like Kagome_, he thought grumpily. He walked down the hall until he stopped at the stair well.

"What seems to be your problem, good sir?"

Inuyasha whipped his head around, but he could not see anyone. His nose twitched, but he could not smell anyone. "Show yourself!" He commanded in a gruff voice.

"If that is what you wish."

He heard a metallic jingle and suddenly a young man was sitting on the stairs in front of him. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and stepped back into a defensive crouch.

The man was no doubt a demon. He had inhuman violet eyes and his ear were pointed. His short, black hair was pulled into a small ponytail at the base of his head. He wore a purple turtleneck shirt and a black trench coat. Resting against his shoulder was a golden staff with a hoop at the top and several golden rings attached loosely to it.

"No need to be alarmed," the man waved his hand reassuringly.

"Who are you?" Inuyasha demanded.

"My name is Miroku Kazaana. Who are you?"

Throughout their talking, he had remained completely calm and collected. It made Inuyasha feel suspicious and he flexed his claws. "None of your business."

Miroku's eyebrows rose slightly. "I have told you my name, it would only polite to tell me yours in return."

Inuyasha snorted. "So, I'm not polite. I think I'll get over it."

"Ah, but you see, if you are not polite, you will only push other people away from you. You'll just end up alone in the world. Unless you are the loner type, I'd say it would be difficult to get over it, would it not?"

Inuyasha snarled, "Who are you?"

Miroku shook his head, "Tut, tut. Didn't we already go over this? I am Miroku. You were the one who did not introduce yourself."

Inuyasha straightened. "This is stupid. I'm leaving."

"It is even more rude to leave unexcused in the middle of a conversation." Miroku told his retreating back.

"Hell, if I care," he threw over his shoulder.

"You say you do not care, but you seemed it be pretty upset several minutes ago. Perhaps it had to do with a certain girl…?"

"What—?!" Inuyasha whipped around, but the man was gone. He ran back to the stair well and looked up and stairs and then down, but Miroku was gone. Completely baffled, Inuyasha turned back to the hall only to see Miroku leaning casually against the wall. "What the—!" He moved once against into a fighting stance. "What _are_ you?!"

Miroku fingered the beads that were bound around his gloved right hand. "Why I am a wind demon of course. The wind carries me wherever I wish."

"How do you know about Kagome?"

"I know about all the occupants of this apartment complex. Though, I don't allow many people to notice me. I can conceal my presence."

"Who is your owner?" Inuyasha asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I have no owner."

"So you are a Fugitive?"

Miroku shrugged. "I suppose. Though I have not yet attempted to escape, I'm sure it would not be a problem if I chose to do so. But back to your problem with Miss Kagome. How do you intend to make up with her?"

Inuyasha stood up and crossed his arms. "Feh. I don't care if I make up with that bitch. She drives me crazy anyway."

Miroku smiled slyly, "But you know you like it anyway."

The hanyou glared at him, "Wha…? You don't know anything." He denied.

"Aw, come on, you can tell me," the wind demon smiled cheekily and swung a friendly arm around Inuyasha's shoulders. Inuyasha shrugged it off and sat down against the wall, folding his arms.

"Leave me alone."

"You aught to give her some flowers. Girls love flowers. The lady three floors down has some pretty nice looking ones on her balcony. If you swipe 'em quickly, she'll never notice. Some chocolate would also be nice too, and maybe a nice smooch on the lips and well… you can just let it go from there." The youkai grinned at him.

"She's not my _lover_, you pervert!" Inuyasha sputtered. "Plus, ningen-youkai relations are strictly forbidden."

"But you are not a youkai. You are hanyou."

"Hanyou, youkai, it's all the same to them," he spat. "Our type has no other use than experimental practices."

Miroku sat down next to him. "You can't possibly believe that."

"I do believe it."

The demon shook his head. "So you don't remember _anything_ about Musashi, the home of the youkai? Nothing at all?"

Inuyasha sighed, "Only bits and pieces. I lived there for a while until my dad died and then they caught me. I don't remember much."

"How long have you been here?"

The hanyou scowled, "I'm not going to tell you everything."

"Maybe if you'd stop being so defensive, you wouldn't be alone anymore."

"I act defensive but I still have Kagome," Inuyasha said in an attempt to prove the man wrong.

"Do you? Have her that is?" He cocked an eyebrow.

Inuyasha kept silent.

"Just give her the flowers. You'll see. Soon, you'll be on her good side again." Miroku patted his knee and stood up. "I'll be around if you ever want to talk again." There was a rush of wind and he was gone.

Inuyasha sat still for a bit, contemplating the demon's suggestion. What could it hurt? He stood up and walked back to the stairs. Seeing as if he set foot outside the building there would be severe consequences, he decided to take Miroku's advice and leapt down three flights of stairs, jumping from balcony ledge to balcony ledge to find the woman he spoke of. He quickly plucked several yellow roses from the large rectangular pot and leapt away.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Kagome sighed and shut off the television. There was absolutely nothing to watch and she was bored to near tears. She sprawled out against the couch and rubbed her temples as a headache began to form.

It had been a couple of hours and Inuyasha was still missing. She hoped he hadn't gotten himself into trouble. Though he had pissed her off, she still cared for him. She was worried that he had run into security or something. Not only would that get him into trouble, it would get her in trouble as well for not taking proper care of her youkai.

Suddenly the doorbell rang and she stared at the door curiously. Who could it be?

She opened the door and stared surprise.

Inuyasha stood there, his eyes on everything but her face. He was blushing a bit and looked slightly disgruntled.

"Inuyasha… what…?"

Suddenly, he withdrew a small bouquet of yellow roses that were hidden behind his back and he pushed them gently into her hands. "Here," he muttered. "I'm… sorry… for being such an ass. I should have trusted you." His blushed darkened and he stared at his feet.

Kagome held the roses gingerly, a bewildered look on her face. She looked back at his embarrassed face and her eyes softened. "Thank you, Inuyasha. They're beautiful. I accept your apology." She stepped aside and he entered the apartment, closing the door. As he walked past her, she noticed that his hand was bleeding from where he had clenched his hand tightly over the roses' thorns in his nervousness. She grabbed them carefully, smoothing her thumb over one of the cuts.

"Er…" Inuyasha watched her examine his hand. "It doesn't hurt or nothing; they're just little cuts."

Kagome led him to the small closet. "It doesn't matter. We still need to get it cleaned." She left him to place the flowers in a vase, before returning and pulling out the First Aid kit. She then led him into the bathroom. "It was very sweet of you to get me flowers," she said, dabbing a damp cloth over his cuts, clearing away the blood. "Where'd you get them from?"

"Um…"

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

The next morning, Kagome woke up finding Inuyasha once again sleeping against the side of her bed. She smiled gently and rubbed at the nearest ear, happy that they were no longer fighting. The past few days had been miserable for her. There was only Inuyasha to make conversation with and because then they were bent on ignoring one another that left Kagome with only herself to talk to.

Inuyasha began to lightly purr in his sleep as she stroked his ear. Kagome giggled and released the appendage in favor of threading her fingers through his soft, silky hair.

"What are you doing, wench?" Inuyasha muttered his eyes still closed.

Kagome smiled and withdrew her hand. "Nothing."

The doorbell rang.

"Wow, another visitor?" Kagome asked, delighted. She pulled on a thin bathrobe over her nightclothes, which consisted of a white spaghetti shirt and green plaid pajama bottoms. She slipped her feet into her pink bunny slippers and walked to the front door, Inuyasha trailing after her.

She opened the door to see a young dark-haired woman holding a clipboard. She had impassive brown-red tinted eyes and wore a red and white striped shirt that clung nicely to her slender body. She glanced at Kagome with the same care as one would toward a worm. "Kagome Higurashi?" She asked in a careless tone.

"Yes, that's me," Kagome replied, curious. "Who are you?"

"I am Kagura Arekuruukaze. I work for Naraku and my specific instructions are to see to Naraku's employees and to see how they are coming along with their youkai." She eyed Inuyasha. "Is this your youkai?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes."

The woman muttered to herself. "Hmm… hanyou, I see…"

Inuyasha growled lightly, but Kagome jabbed him lightly in the stomach with her elbow, warning him to behave.

"Where are his chains, girl? And his chain tag?" Kagura asked Kagome, her eyes hardening.

Kagome fidgeted under the older woman's scrutiny. "Um… well, you see, the chains looked a bit uncomfortable and they kept dragging on the floor so I removed them."

"And the chain?"

Kagome's eyes looked up at Inuyasha's face and then down to the floor. She shifted her weight from one foot the other uncomfortably. "Um…"

"I see…" Kagura marked something on the paper fastened to her clipboard. After she was finished, she looked up at Kagome and gave her a fake, sugary smile. "Thank you for your time, Miss Higurashi. You'll probably be hearing from Naraku within the week. Good day."

She walked out and the younger woman closed the door after her.

Kagome's face was pale as she turned to Inuyasha. "Well, that didn't go too well, did it?"

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**A/N**: Whew, finally finished with this chapter! Sorry for keeping you guys waiting for so long and I hope to make more frequent updates in the future. Stick with me, guys, I won't let you down again! I think I finally have an idea for where I want this to end. Thanks for all the support! Luv ya!

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**Review Responses**

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**Alana-star**: Wow, it's been a long time since my last update huh? I'm sowie… But I'm glad you like this so much! It makes me very happy XD All your reviews are so encouraging! Thanks so much! **Urei-sama**: Thank you so much! ::blushes:: I'm happy you enjoy it so much! I try to make my work as original as possible. But I'm starting up this fic again! Hope you liked this chapter. **Silentslayer**: Thanks! I finally got over my writer's block for this story and I hope I don't run out of inspiration any time soon. Thanks for the review! **Fay-of-faerie**: Thanks for all your support. It's very encouraging! I hope you liked this chapter and I'm so sorry to make you wait so much! I really appreciate your review and I hope you'll review for this one =P **Hapagirl21**: Thanks! Well, he can't be exactly free. Kagome broke the rules by taking off the chain and he can go anywhere in the apartment providing Naraku's people don't see him. Hope that makes it clearer. Thanks for the review and I'm sorry for the hiatus! I hope you liked this chapter. **Genki no Yuuki**: Yup is the best pairing in the world huh? LOL. =P **AnimeBrat**: Wahh it makes me so happy that you love this story so much! Bet you're happy to see this update huh? Thanks for all the reviews you've made regarding this fic! It makes me so happy XD **Sashlea**: No problem. **Comicfancat**: Thanks for being so understanding. I know lots of people are disappointed that I put it on hiatus and I'm thankful for people like you. Well, it hasn't been _that_ long right? I mean it's _only_ been four months =P **x-with stars**: Haha. It's okay that you haven't reviewed. Hope I didn't make you wait _too_ long. Did you enjoy the chapter? I tried to make it extra long, but it only made to 2000 words. ::sighs:: Oh well. Thanks for the review! **Euphonious**: Wow, a new penname huh? Is this the second time you changed it since you made that review? LOL. I like it by the way. Yeah, school work started piling up so now that it's summer I can update more! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter! **As1aNxAng3l**: Thanks! **Moonlight-Miko**: LOL, thanks! I try to make humor in my stories but I'm no where as good as some authors. I'm glad you enjoyed it!


	7. Chapter 7

**Dr. Do-Youkai**

**Disclaimer**: From Inuyasha… to Sango, Miroku; from Shippo, Kirara… to Ka-a-gome; from the Goshinboku… to the Gobbling We-e-ell… this series does not belong to you or me. Nice song, eh?

**A/N**: I'm back! This update didn't take as long as last time's, eh? Well, I'm not into lengthy A/N's so onto the chapter!

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**Ch. 7**

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"What are we going to do, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, while pacing nervously. "Naraku's practically placed us under house arrest. Something bad is going to happen; I can just feel it." She pulled her arms around herself and shivered slightly.

Inuyasha walked over to her and put a comforting arm about her shoulders. "Don't worry, Kagome. Things will turn out alright," he said reassuringly, albeit uncertainly.

Over the past couple days, Naraku had ordered two bodyguards to stand by their door, refusing to let them out for any reason. Kagome hadn't known the consequences for removing her youkai's tag would have been so serious. Naraku probably assumed that she was trying to help him become a Fugitive, or something ludicrous as that. There was something about her boss that gave her goosebumps. The man seemed so phony. What if he decided she wasn't fit to own Inuyasha? What if he took him away and gave her youkai to some merciless experimenter for torture?

She'd only been with Inuyasha for several weeks, but he was as dear to her as a close companion. She didn't want to see him hurt.

The door suddenly swung open. One of the demon bodyguards stood in front of the two of them. "Naraku will see you now. I will lead you to his office. Bring the hanyou," he stated swiftly and mechanically.

The youkai the marched away and Kagome hastened to follow him. The three of them went to the elevator and up twenty levels to Naraku's office. The youkai bodyguard nodded to a second one guarding his office and the latter opened the door for them.

Kagome gulped nervously and entered the large room. The moment they stepped into the office, the guards behind them pulled out heavy chains and immediately shackled Inuyasha. He snarled ferociously and tried to jerk away, but he only received a blow to the head as a reward.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out, alarmed.

"Do not worry about him," Naraku said from behind his desk. He was completely calm and his fingers were threaded together. "He is a hanyou. It will not hurt him much."

Kagome turned to him.

The man gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. "Have a seat, Miss Higurashi."

Tentatively, she did as she was told. Behind her, she took note of the chained up Inuyasha, held down by the two burly guards. "What about Inuyasha?" She asked softly.

Naraku snorted. "He is youkai, and an experimental subject at that. I do not care for his condition, painful or otherwise."

Kagome clenched her hands over the chair's armrest, but said nothing.

"Now then, Miss Higurashi, let us get down to business." He said, unfolding his hands and shuffling through a few papers on his desk. "One of my inspectors, Kagura Arekuruukaze, tells me that Inuyasha was not wearing his tag nor his chains, as I can clearly tell, when she made inspections to my employees. Would you care to tell me why you removed them when your specified instructions were to leave them on?"

Kagome fidgeted uncomfortably. "The chains seemed… uncomfortable. They kept rubbing against his skin, so I took them off. And the tag… well… it kept finding ways to touch his skin for some reason and he was blistering, so… I also removed that too," she lied.

Naraku looked past her and nodded at one of the guards. The youkai jerked down the high collar of the turtleneck to expose Inuyasha's neck. There was no sign of any abrasions.

"Ah," the man nodded understandingly, "From the looks of your hanyou's skin, you've either lied or have taken off his tag long ago," His dark eyes pierced into hers, "or both. Which one is it?"

Kagome lowered her gaze, unable to look him in the eyes. "I took off several days ago," she said, not really answering his question.

"You realize this is a strict violation of the rules, Miss Higurashi?" Naraku asked in a sharp tone.

"Y-yes," she stuttered.

Naraku reached out a long, white finger and pulled her chin up so she looked at him. Inuyasha growled low in his throat. He did not like that man, Naraku and he certainly did not want him touching Kagome.

"Miss Higurashi, you must understand. Firstly, it is dangerous to release Inuyasha of his tag. If he were to walk out a door, any door of this office building wearing the tag, the alarm will automatically be triggered. If he was not wearing the tag, he could easily get away. Secondly, youkai have no feelings. Do not worry for them. If they are uncomfortable, so be it. They are only our experimental puppets. That is their only purpose. They are monsters that must be chained and shackled."

Inuyasha snarled angrily and tried to pull away from the bodyguards. They tightened the chains around his wrist. "That's right," the hanyou growled, "pull them tighter because it will only be that much more sweet when I get my hands around your neck," Inuyasha bit out at Naraku, though the man could not hear him.

But Kagome heard him. Her heart felt for him, but again she held back her tongue.

"For your health and for the health of the innocents outside this building, you will put that tag back on and keep the chains around him. That is an order." Naraku said with finality. "Is that understood?"

Kagome nodded, bowing her head politely, "Yes, sir."

"I will be placing the two of you under house arrest for another 72 hours, just in case. Have a good day, Miss Higurashi." With that, she was escorted out of his office and back to her room.

Once the door was shut tight, Kagome whirled around to face Inuyasha. "That's it, I can't stand it anymore. We have to get out of here!"

"What are you talking about, woman?" Inuyasha grunted as he tugged against his confines.

"This place… it's horrible! The way that… that _man_ regarded you and the way those youkai treated you!" She walked up to him until they were practically touching. "Before I met you, I never thought I would ever be compassionate toward youkai. After all, it was a youkai that killed my family in the first place." She looked down for a moment, struggling to get a hold of her emotions.

Inuyasha watched her silently.

"But now I understand why that demon did what it did. I've seen the labs where they experiment on youkai. They give no consideration to comfort; they don't even care if the test medication accidentally _kills_ the youkai! It's horrible! But I never really realized how bad it really was. I never thought that youkai had feelings at all," she looked back up at him and reached out a hand to rest on his shoulder, "until I met you.

"Pretty soon, they will be noticing that my project isn't coming along very fast. In order for me to turn in my report, I need a test subject, but I refuse to use you as one!" Kagome stomped one of her feet for emphasis.

"So what do you propose we do?" Inuyasha asked, his heart thumping at the prospect of escape.

"We'll have to get out of here."

The hanyou rolled his eyes. "Well, that much is obvious. I mean, how are we going to do it?"

"Well," Kagome pulled out a set of keys, "first, we're going to have to get you free."

Inuyasha looked at her surprised, "How did you get those?"

Kagome gave him a mischievous look, "I grabbed them from the guard's pocket when he wasn't looking." She began fitting the keys to the various locks around him and the chains fell away one by one. "We'll have to act like nothing's wrong at first. Once they let us off house arrest, we'll get away, somehow. We're going to need some help, though."

"I know someone," Inuyasha said suddenly.

Kagome looked surprised. "You do?"

"Yeah. I met someone the other day. He said he'd be around if I ever needed him."

"Who's this friend of yours?"

"His name's Miroku. He's a wind demon and I'm sure he'll be happy to help. He has no owner, but he's okay."

"No owner, huh?" Kagome muttered to herself. "Well that's good. But we're also going to need someone to help cover us back here. Maybe Rin will be willing. I'll call Sango to see if she can help us at all."

Inuyasha watched her as she retreated to her room, pulling out a bag and putting a few essentials in it. He stepped up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Kagome," he said slowly, struggling with his words, "you realize that by doing this, you're putting a lot at risk. Your job, your home, your friends…"

Kagome turned to face him, "I know it's a big sacrifice. Most of my memories are of this place and I can barely remember life outside of Shikon, but this place is so _wrong_! Youkai are people too! They deserve no less than what we have. This place has _no_ morals and I shame myself just by staying here. Do you understand, Inuyasha? _I don't want to be here_!"

Inuyasha nodded, his throat constricting. Never had he met someone who was so compassionate toward youkai. This Kagome was something amazing. "Where will we go?" he asked when his throat had loosened.

Kagome shook her head wearily. "I don't know. But I suppose anywhere's better than here."

An idea sparked in Inuyasha's head, "What if we go to Musashi?"

Kagome stared at him a moment. "Are… are we allowed to? I mean, won't they kill me on the spot when they see I'm not youkai?" She asked hesitantly.

Inuyasha drew himself up and puffed out his chest. "I won't let them. I'll protect you."

Kagome giggled at the comical image he put up and drew her arms around his waist in a friendly hug, "Thanks, Inuyasha. I know you'll always be there for me."

Inuyasha's face flamed and he stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do. "Um… no problem."

Kagome pulled back and picked up the phone, dialing her friends' numbers. Her youkai watched until she was finished.

"What do we do now?"

Kagome made herself comfortable on her bed and motioned Inuyasha to sit next to her.

"We wait."

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Sango had received a strange call from Kagome, which consisted of questions about how she felt about Shikon Company and how far would she be willing to help a close friend. Naturally, she wanted to go see if Kagome was in good health and despite her warning not to visit, Sango decided it wouldn't hurt to check up on the girl anyway.

She was just about to turn the corner leading to Kagome's apartment when she walked straight into a wall.

An invisible wall.

"What the hell—?!" She cursed, rubbing her nose.

"I wouldn't go that way, if I were you," a disembodied voice told her.

Sango turned around quickly, but no one was there. She gave a suspicious glance back in the other direction. There was still no one. She gave up looking for the mysterious voice and carefully reached out a hand. The wall was still there. She placed both hands flat against, searching for a way past it. As she pushed her weight against it, it suddenly gave way.

She gave a surprised squeak and braced herself to hit the floor, but it never happened. She felt strong hands gripping her upper arms, its body cushioning hers. Sango looked up to see a young, black-haired man grinning at her.

"Hello, miss. What brings you to these parts?"

Sango noticed the slight slurring accent in his voice, but that thought dissolved from her mind once she noticed his pointed ears. She jerked herself away and pointed a shaky finger at him. "You're a youkai! But what… how…?"

Miroku waited patiently for the girl to catch her breath. "Don't be alarmed, miss. I am a youkai, but I won't harm you."

"I can… understand you?" Sango breathed in an incredulous voice.

The wind demon nodded his head once. "I've been around here for years. It didn't take me long to catch onto the language."

"Where's your owner?" She asked him curiously, looking around him.

"I have none."

"None?" Sango's eyes widened and she stepped back a bit.

"I told you, you have nothing to be alarmed about. I won't hurt you."

She stood up straighter. "Why should I believe you? You're a Fugitive who happens to be so advanced that you can speak the human language. You even have spiritual powers that allow you to erect invisible barriers and hide your presence."

Miroku grinned, obviously delighted, "Why, thank you."

_Well, he doesn't _seem _to be dangerous_, Sango thought to herself. "What is your name, youkai?"

"Why, it is Miroku, fair lady. Would you grant me the favor of escorting you back to your room?"

Sango shook her head stubbornly. "I have to see Kagome first."

"That would be ill-advised, Miss Sango. Miss Kagome is, at the moment, under house arrest and--"

"House arrest?!" Sango cried alarmed. "What did she do? Kagome _never_ does anything bad!"

"While that may be true, Kagome is still under house arrest, and if you wish to stay out of trouble, you'd best stay away from her for a few days. She'll be let off eventually."

Sango stomped her foot down. "I don't believe you! I mean, why should I? You're a youkai, and you can talk human to boot. In fact, I should report you right away."

Miroku looked alarmed for the first time she'd seen him. "NO! …I mean, please don't do that. I haven't hurt anyone yet and I'd rather not go back into confinement. It's… not a very pleasant experience."

Sango crossed her arms, but she relented and allowed him to take her back to her apartment, only raising an eyebrow in question at his ability to lead her home without directions. "I'm letting it go for now, but I _will_ find out what's going on in a few days. And nobody, not you nor some dumb youkai guards are going to stop me, you hear?" She said firmly.

"Got it, ma'am. No further interventions will be necessary after three days. Good day, Miss Sango." Miroku tipped his head slightly toward her and, suddenly, he was gone.

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**A/N**: And Sango and Miroku finally meet! There won't be a big romance between them, but you can expect several encounters between them. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry I took so long, I would have gotten it out a week ago, but something with my computer messed up and it went missing for a while. Boy was I scared when I realized that I couldn't find a chapter that was 98% written!

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**Review Responses**

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**Mistress Koishii**: Thanks for reviewing! Glad you liked it, and hoped you enjoyed this chapter! **Crituque**: Haha, thanks. Sorry I couldn't update sooner, what with my whole missing chapter crisis =P Anyway, thanks for reviewing! **Sandywai**: Heehee, thanks XD I love fluffy fics, don't you? I tried not to rush them into the romance, but sometimes, I can't stay away from the fluff. Hope you liked this chapter! It was a little longer than the last, but I'm hoping I'll be able to write longer in the future. **FieryDemonFox**: Thanks! I'm glad you like it! And I hope you keep up with that story of yours, the Tiger of the Princess. Thanks for the review! **AnimeBrat**: Haha, you're happy now, eh? And it's only been a little less than four weeks since I updated! (Vacation time DOESN'T count! =P And that was two weeks) Here's the update. Did you like it? Let me know! **Silentslayer**: Thank you! Yup, I think I finally have a plot in my head. Originally, I didn't really… but now I do! Well, my idea for their meeting was a little different… but that's alright! I didn't want too much violence or it might have gone out of control. Thanks for the suggestion though! **Inuyasha1990**: Thanks! I'm glad you're liking it! This chapter didn't take _too _long right? LOL. **Sango's reincarnation**: Haha, you bet! Isn't she always? **Demented-squrriel**: LOL. Yes, sometimes computers can be screwy. Like it was with me. Man I was so freaked out when this chapter went missing. But now I've found it. Whew! Thanks, I'm glad you like it! I try to make my plots as original as possible. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! **Moonlight-miko**: How was this chapter eh? It's just a bit longer than the last. If I keep this up, hopefully I'll be getting out those humungo chapters! …Probably not… ­­­­­­­­­­­­**pinksakurablossom07**: Hah, I guess I do deserve it, but I DID say it was on hiatus. I had a writer's block, but fortunately, I now have a plot! I predict that this story won't be too long. Maybe 15 chapters. But don't quote me on that one. Thanks for the review! **Urei-sama**: Haha, that was the reaction of a lot of people. ::basks in the love:: =P Here's chapter seven! Hope you've enjoyed it. **Alana-star/Sugarcat**: Thanks! I bet you're happy that I updated, eh? You've been hounding me about it for a while =P Ah, well, I don't mind. Hope you liked it! **Black Katty**: Thanks! Wow, that's a lot of 'really's! I'm glad you enjoy this. **X-with stars**: Thanks! You're about the only person who's said that. Vacationing was a blast! But now I'm back (well… I've been back for a couple weeks…) and with a new chapter! **PHOEBE HOLLY**: Sorry I took so long to update before! But this time was fast, right? I'm off my writer's block now. Thanks for the review!


	8. Chapter 8

**Dr. Do-Youkai**

**A/N**: Sorry for the wait! I really wanted to get NLA over with first before I continued with my other fics. Here's a long chapter for you guys! It's with the two getting to know each other better. In other words, a chapter with almost nothing but fluff. Hope you enjoy! =P

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**Ch. 8**

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"How many days has it been, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked sleepily, resting her head against her pillow.

"Two days. Just one more left before they leave us alone." Inuyasha told her from his usual sitting position by her bed.

She frowned a bit, "You shouldn't have to sleep there every night. It's not right."

"What, you suggest we try to get out the futon again?" He asked dryly. "Plus, what does it matter, I'm just a half demon."

"I thought we went over this before! It doesn't matter what race you are. You shouldn't have to sleep on the ground while I get to sleep on the bed. Maybe we can switch every other night. You sleep on the bed one day and I sleep on the bed the next."

Inuyasha blew out an exasperated sigh. "Kagome, it's fine really. I don't mind sleeping like this. It's not that uncomfortable and I don't sleep much anyway."

Stubbornly, Kagome got out of bed and sat next to him. "Look, this isn't about if it's comfortable or not. It's about equality. How can I prove my point to the world if I can't even get through to the very race I'm try to help?"

"Kagome! It's just a stupid bed!"

"It may just be a bed, but just goes to show that they can take the smallest of things and still discriminate youkai! It's so disgusting!"

"Look, I know you're becoming an activist and all, but I think you're taking this just a little bit too far."

"Shut up, Inuyasha," she said, closing her eyes and snuggling into his side. "If you're going to sleep down here tonight, then I'm going to sleep here as well."

_Kagome, you stupid girl_, Inuyasha thought fondly. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and tucked her head under his chin before closing his own eyes. _What am I going to do with you?_

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When Kagome woke up the next morning, she realized that Inuyasha had moved her back onto the bed. Only this time, he was curled up behind her, an arm draped loosely over her waist. She blushed when she realized that they were sharing a bed, but then, she discovered that she really didn't mind at all.

Kagome turned her face toward his and watched as he slept. Gently she ran a finger down his sleeping face. _He's so adorable when he's asleep_. Looking at the clock and realizing it was still in the early hours of the morning, Kagome burrowed her body into the warmth he provided and fell asleep again.

When she woke up the second time, she was alone in her bed. Giving a jaw-cracking yawn, she stretched her arms over her head and threw back the covers, pulling on a warm sweater over her pajamas to substitute the loss of the warmth from the bed.

After she'd come out of her room, Kagome was surprised to find Inuyasha in the kitchen, trying futilely to cook a breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon. The eggs were in a dark clump as he poked at the mess with a spatula, cursing fluently under his breath. "Inuyasha?" She asked in disbelief, a laugh on the tip of her tongue.

He caught sight of her and crossed his arms angrily, the spatula still clutched in one hand, "Yeah, yeah, laugh all you like. Just get it over with already."

Kagome suppressed a giggle and walked over to him, "Oh, Inuyasha, I'm not going to la-la-lau—" She cleared her throat to hide the laugh that was threatening to bubble out from her mouth. "You're cooking breakfast?" She tried on a different note. "That's so sweet!"

"You looked really tired and I didn't want to bother you," he grumped, not looking at her, "But… I don't know how to cook."

"Well, I'm up now, so let me help you." She dumped the blackened mess of eggs into the sink and replaced the pan on the stove. "Could you get me some eggs?"

He nodded and grabbed two eggs from the refrigerator. She cracked them into a bowl and beat them together, adding a bit of salt. Kagome poured the beaten eggs into the pan and it made a sizzling sound as it cooked. She took the spatula and prodded at it a bit. Within minutes, the eggs were scrambled and ready to be eaten. The smell made Inuyasha's mouth water. Kagome retrieved a fork from the utensil drawer and scooped up some of the eggs. She blew on it gently and offered it to her companion.

"Here, try it now."

Inuyasha sampled it and declared it edible. Kagome inspected the bacon he'd previously made and decided it too would be good enough. Breakfast was a quick affair and the dirty dishes were soon in the sink. Kagome left to freshen up for the day and Inuyasha volunteered (grudgingly) to wash the dishes.

"What should we do now?" Kagome asked once they'd both finished and had sat down in the living room.

Inuyasha shrugged, "We still have the rest of today to blow off."

"I know, how about you tell me about yourself?" Kagome suggested.

The hanyou flinched. "I don't like talking about myself."

"Oh, come on," Kagome coaxed. "It can't be that bad."

"I said I don't want to talk about myself!" He barked angrily. Immediately, he felt guilty and flattened his ears. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I shouldn't have shouted at you."

"It's okay," she reassured him, "you don't have to tell me if you really don't want to."

"No, no, it's just… I haven't talked about myself in a long time."

"Inuyasha?"

"Before I was brought here, I lived in the hidden city of Musashi. I can't remember much but I do have some distinct memories. I lived with my mother and father. Father was full inu-youkai and mother was full human. Father wasn't around very much. He was general in the army and there were lots of wars between the youkai groups back then. I remember my mother the most. She had the longest, silkiest black hair and some nights, she would let me comb it. But then, my father was killed in battle and we were booted out from the area we were living in. The youkai there really didn't like humans or hanyou, but they hadn't dared to do anything while General Inu, the Inu no Taisho was still alive." Inuyasha's eyes clouded over. "Then, Mother got sick from some disease and she died a while later. I fended for myself for years before they captured me and brought me here."

Kagome felt something tug in her heart at his story and she reached out to hold his hand. For a moment, he just stared at their joined hands, his larger one incasing her smaller one.

"Kagome… thanks for being here and listening to me. It's nice just to have someone to talk to once in a while."

"Hey, it's no problem," she told him sincerely, "You may be my youkai, but you're also my friend and I want to get to know you better. Just remember, if you ever need someone to talk to again, I'll be there for you."

Inuyasha let a rare smile cross his face. "Thanks, Kagome." They sat together in a comfortable silence before he spoke up again. "So what about you? I've told you about me already."

She shrugged. "There's not much to tell. My family was killed by a Fugitive youkai when I was little. They brought me in to keep the murder from getting out to the press and I've been living here since."

"Your entire family?"

"Yeah, but it's not that bad anymore. It was a long time ago and I've moved on." They lapsed once again into silence, but it was Kagome who broke it this time. "So, what do you want to do?" At his shrug, she suggested, "How about Scrabble?"

Inuyasha cocked an ear at her quizzically. "Scrabble? What's that?"

"It's a board game. I remember seeing it in the closet on that first day. If you'll help me again, I bet we'll find other games as well."

Fifteen minutes later, Kagome was able to find not only Scrabble, but Monopoly, Twister, and Candyland too. Inuyasha's arms were smarting a bit from having to press against the clutter in the closet, but he was otherwise unharmed. Kagome patiently taught the rules of each game to her youkai and they spent the rest of the morning playing. After lunch, they cuddled together on the small couch and watched movies on TV, bringing them all the way to dinnertime.

The two discussed the day over a meal of fresh baked bread—courtesy of Kagome—and slightly overcooked macaroni and cheese—courtesy of Inuyasha.

"I really had a fun time today," Kagome told him. "Yeah, me too. Especially with Twister. I totally beat your ass in Twister," Inuyasha guffawed.

"And I beat yours in Scrabble," Kagome countered evenly.

"Well, that's because you're more educated than me," Inuyasha said miffed, crossing his arms.

"And you're more flexible than me," she retorted, "So we're even."

"I wish we could do this again."

"Me too," Kagome agreed wistfully, "but we've still got to get out of here. We need to draw up a plan. There's no point trying to escape if we're not organized."

"I have a plan already."

Kagome's eyebrows rose, "You do?"

"Why don't we just jump from the balcony? There aren't any guards there."

Kagome sighed. "It's not as easy as that. There will be barriers around, I'm sure of it. You can't just leap off the building and expect to get away."

Inuyasha thought for a moment before saying, "I think it's time you met Miroku."

"Miroku?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah, remember? I told you before that he was the guy that could help us."

"Okay… I guess," she said hesitantly.

"Don't worry; he's okay." Inuyasha assured her before yelling out loudly, "Hey, Miroku!" The hanyou was confident that he would come and as if on cue, the youkai materialized in front of them."

"What is it that you need?" He asked.

Kagome took a step back. "Whoa, how did you get in here?"

"I am a youkai of the wind, Miss Kagome. Mere locks cannot keep me away."

"In other words, he came in through the balcony door," Inuyasha elaborated, pointing at the door they'd opened a while ago to let in fresh air.

Miroku looked indignant, but didn't deny the other youkai's claim. "Was there something you wanted or did you only call me here to insult my abilities?"

"Mr. Miroku—" Kagome began.  
"Just Miroku is fine," he interrupted, giving her a dazzling smile that made her blush lightly.

"You see, Miroku, as crazy as it sounds, Inuyasha and I plan to get away from here. I don't want to live here anymore and I don't want to see Inuyasha hurt. He says we can just get away by jumping from the balcony window but I don't think it's that simple."

Miroku shook his head, "You're right. It's not. You see, on the first floor, you can't get out because either the tag will be triggered, or the security guards will catch you. Naraku can't afford to have guards stationed at every exit and every window; plus, it would make his company seem suspicious. Instead, he erected a barrier around the entire building and it won't let anything with demon blood through. If a youkai were to pass through, a strong electric shock would be delivered and security would be alerted."

Inuyasha looked baffled. "But wait; something doesn't add up. That night when Kagome was going on a date, I was able to go to the theaters. How do you explain that?"

Miroku smiled somewhat abashedly, "I can explain that. You see, I've been watching you folks for a while. It can get quite boring for a wind demon to be cooped up in here. I have to find my own ways of entertainment. That night, I was able to get a spell that would allow one youkai to enter through the barrier. The spell creates a small field of neutrality, but if too many youkai enter at once, the spell will fail and it will trigger security. The second time you came through, Inuyasha, it nearly collapsed, but luckily, the spell was a strong one."

Kagome shook her head, "I don't understand, Miroku. If you had such a spell like that, why didn't you use it for yourself? You wouldn't have to be stuck up here with just yourself to keep you company."

"I appreciate your concern, but I was born in this facility. This is my only home; I would have nowhere else to go. It's fine really. I have met several nice people, like you. Living here really isn't all that bad."

"May I ask you another question?" Kagome inquired politely.

Miroku grinned, "Why certainly, Miss Kagome."

"Where did you get that spell from?"

"I had a feeling you were going to ask me that." He confided. "I got it from Kaede, the witch."

"The witch? Don't call her that! If she was nice enough to give you that spell, you shouldn't be so rude to her," Kagome reprimanded.

Inuyasha let out a short laugh that sounded suspiciously like a bark. "Kagome, a witch is someone who makes spells."

"Oh." She blushed in embarrassment. "Can we use that same spell again?"

"'Fraid not. That was the last of Kaede's neutrality batch. She hates it when people ask her to made spells for them. However, I do know that she has a potion that will make youkai temporarily human."

"Feh. How's that going to help us?" Inuyasha demanded.

Miroku waved his index finger at the hanyou. "Tut, tut. You weren't listening to me earlier, were you? I said that only demons couldn't pass through the barrier. I didn't say anything about humans."

"Wouldn't it just be easier if it didn't let anyone through?" Kagome questioned.

"It would be logical, but then, think of the people who might approach the barrier, not knowing its purpose: little children from the park, passersby, and even inspectors from the government and such. It would seem very suspicious for the company if people found such a deadly barrier protecting it. Secondly, it wouldn't make sense for a human to jump from the balcony, even if it was on the second floor. There is a reason why the first and the second floors are so far apart."

"So if humans can't get down, how will we?"

Miroku smirked, "I have an idea, but I'll tell you tomorrow. For now, just get some rest and I'll meet up with you in the morning." Without waiting for a response, he gave them a last smile and disappeared.

Kagome turned to Inuyasha. "You know, I think we should turn in now. It's only 9:45, but we might as well get some rest. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

"We're going to try to escape tomorrow?" Inuyasha asked in surprised, raising one eyebrow.

"Of course not. We probably won't for another week. If we do something right away, Naraku just might still be watching us. I don't want to chance that. But let's sleep anyway. I'm a bit tired."

"Okay," Inuyasha conceded. "I'll take the floor today and you can't get the bed."

Kagome sighed in exasperation, "Oh, not this again."

"Well what do you want to do?" He exploded. "Unless you want to share the bed again." They both blushed at the same time.

"Well… maybe we can try to get the futon out again. When we got the games today, I think I knocked it a bit loose."

"Alright," Inuyasha sighed. "But if I get hurt, I'm blaming you."

Kagome giggled and agreed to his terms. They did manage to get the futon, though they had a close call when a spare pole for the window curtains nearly came down on the hanyou's head.

Once they'd settled down on their respective beds, Kagome reached down and gently threaded her hands through his hair.

He turned to face her, "What is it?"

"Nothing. I just really like your hair." She played with the forelock that covered the place where a human ear would have been. Slowly, she moved her hand up until she reached one of his velvety, triangular ears. She rubbed it tenderly and a low rumbling unfurled from the back of his throat. She smiled as he leaned further into her touch. The purring that he was making soothed her nerves and she felt herself slowly drifting away. Inuyasha too felt drowsy as her fingers continued to stroke his ears slowly and it eventually lulled him to sleep.

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**A/N**: How was that fluffy chapter eh? Sorry if Inuyasha seemed a bit OOC, but after all, he's getting to know her better and he knows he can trust her already so he's letting a softer part of him show. He'll be back to normal in later chapters though! So don't worry if this nice Inuyasha isn't to your liking.

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**Review Responses**

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**katie keita**: Thanks! So you like my originality, eh? Well, I'll take that as a compliment. I also hope that I make it to the end, but what with wonderful reviewers like you, of course I'll make it! **AnimeBrat**: I was going to update _Into the Darkness_first, but then, I got a sudden inspiration for this fic, fortunately for you. =P There will be more Mir/San stuff, but probably not that much. I don't know if it's just me, but Mir/San moments sort of bother me when I'm reading an Inu/Kag fic because I'm always rushing to read the Inu/Kag parts =P I hope you don't mind. **X-with stars**: I hope I didn't make you wait too long! I really wanted to finish NLA first. But how about this chapter, eh? Didn't you think it was about the fluffiest chapter of all my works? I wanted to work in a kiss at first, but then I realized that this might be the 8th chapter, but I didn't want to rush things. **Gin**: Yup! And I hope fervently to keep any and all writer's blocks away! **Defafaeth Mechqua**: Er… thanks for the review? =P **Fiery Demon Fox**: Yeah, that's totally what I meant =P Sorry, I think I was in a bit of a rush when I was writing that review. Hope you liked this chapter! It might have been dangerously teetering in the OOC range, but I was in the mood for fluff. Hope you were too! **Urei-Sama**: Nope, nope, nope, that chapter was definitely longer =D Yeah, sorry about that, I didn't want to go into details because I was afraid that I would be repeating myself with words like 'elevator', 'room', and 'office'. I really hate it when I repeat myself so I just go with the shortcut =P Thanks for your opinion though! I'll try not to do it next time. **Mistress Koishii**: Thanks! Your questions do require a bit of a spoiler, but it's not that big a deal, so I'll answer them. Yes, they will be going together. It'll be just like the regular Inuyasha group except without Shippo. I don't know if it's just me, but Shippo always was a tad annoying to me when they were traveling. They'll probably meet him in Musashi, so don't worry! And this update didn't take _that_ long did it? Only three weeks… Heh heh. **Engelina**: Thanks! Hope I didn't make you wait too long! **sandywai**: Thanks so much! =D You like fluffy fics, eh? Well what did you think of _this_ chapter? Yeah, I don't like rushed romances either. I hope this wasn't too rushed for you. This chapter was somewhat of a filler and for them to get to know each other better. They'll escape eventually, but probably not for another chapter or so. Don't quote me on that one. **comicfancat**: Thank you! Well, stick around and you'll know what will happen! ::hint, hint, nudge, nudge:: **silentslayer**: Well, you'll just have to read to find out eh? Thanks for the review =3 **Moonlight-Miko**: Thanks! Did you like this chapter? I think it's the fluffiest I've ever written =P


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